Arrest made in Pringle arsons

A Pringle man is facing nine felony charges related to nine separate wildland and structure fires that occurred in the Pringle area of Custer County.
Jerimiah James Stange, 31, was arrested Thursday, Oct. 3. The fires occurred between Aug. 28 and Sept. 30 in various locations throughout Custer County.
“These fires placed people at risk and damaged significant property,” South Dakota attorney general Marty Jackley said. “Thank you to all of the firefighters that protected our communities, and the agencies that worked cooperatively in investigating this case and making the arrest.”
The fires involved were:
Aug. 28 - Lime Kiln Fire
Aug. 28 - Carroll Creek Fire
Sept. 20 - 313 Fire
Sept. 20 - Pringle Cemetery Fire
Sept. 20 - Watershed Fire
Sept. 20 - 260 Palmer St. Fire
Sept. 21 - Shirt Fire
Sept. 26 - Bowman Fire
Sept. 30 - 257 Palmer St. Fire
Stange has been charged with six counts of Reckless Burning or Exploding, a Class 4 felony, two counts of Second Degree Arson, a Class 4 felony, and one count of First Degree Arson, a Class 2 felony. The more serious counts are for the structure fires Stange is alleged to have started.
A Class 4 felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. A Class 2 felony is punishable by up to 25 years in prison and/or a $25,000 felony. All told, Stange faces up to 105 years in prison, which could also be raised if the state’s attorney’s office seeks habitual offender status, as Stange has a previous record.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation. Other assisting agencies were the DCI Forensic Lab, U.S. Forest Service, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and State Wildland Fire.
According to court documents, investigation of the first fire, the Lime Kiln fire, was determined by investigators to have been started by a human lighting paper on fire in the grass, with the paper being a page from a Disney Mickey and Minnie book. Later fires were also determined to have been started by a human, with some having an unknown accelerant or gasoline used to help start the fire.
Investigators learned the Bowman Fire was started near private property that had a game camera at the entrance of the property, and the camera caught a vehicle that was eventually identified as belonging to Stange’s signficant other. Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley said the significant other was unaware of Stange’s alleged fire starting and was cooperative throughout the investigation.
On both Sept. 26 and 30 Stange was interviewed by DCI special agent Bernie Keller, who provided information as to where he said he was during times in question and denied any wrongdoing. When confronted with the time stamped photos of the car traveling at times shortly before a fire and away from a fire, Stange said he did not recall driving around during the time period on the photographs.
Investigators again met with Stange Oct. 2, when he confirmed he was driving the car that passed the camera on the land where the Bowman Fire started. After questioning whether the muffler from the car could have started the fire, he inquired about potential charges for the fires, whether he could be charged with starting all the fires if he admitted to starting only the one before admitting he started that fire. He later recanted, saying he was “just trying to get him and his family out of the spotlight.”
Eventually, a copy of the same Disney Mickey and Minnie book believed to be used for the Lime Kiln Fire was borrowed from the Custer County Library and used to confirm the pages and book matched the one used to start that fire. A search warrant was issued, and investigators found the same book in Stange’s kitchen. The book was missing the cover and numerous pages. Shoes that had prints that matched prints found at the Watershed Fire were also found.
Custer County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Steve McMillin and Keeler again interviewed Stange, who eventually admitted to starting the fires outside of town but said he had nothing to do with the structures fires or the outhouses burned at the Pringle Cemetery. At that point Stange was placed under arrest for the fires he admitted to starting.
Stange was later interviewed by Mechaley, and admitted to also starting the structure fires and the fire in the cemetery outhouses.
One of the fires Stange confessed to was started in a trailer on his land in an attempt to try to make him look like a victim instead of a suspect as authorities closed in on confirming he was responsible for the fires.
It was noted in the report the fires were started during Red Flag Warnings due to lack of moisture in the area.
Mechaley said throughout the investigation sheriff’s office deputies worked fire patrol on their days off, cruising the area looking for suspicious activity.
“I’m grateful we had a good team of people who would step up and do fire patrol,” he said, while lauding the cooperation of all of the agencies—local, state and federal—who helped with the investigation. “When they say it’s a team effort—it truly was a team effort. It was a lot of good police work.”
Mechaley said he was also grateful Stange admitted to the structure fires so further investigation was not required and people in the area could be relieved that the alleged arsonist has been apprehended.
Stange remains in the Pennington County Jail with no bond.