JONESBORO – Police have arrested Smokey Bear in connection with a house fire over the weekend. The fire completely destroyed the property which was vacant at the time.
Bear, age 69, was arrested at his home in Craighead Forest Park this morning after authorities discovered photos posted on his Facebook Fan page appear to show him posing in front of the burning structure. Upon searching Bear’s residence police found materials used in the arson.
“Really, Smokey is the last person we would have suspected,” Jonesboro police chief Michael Yates tells us. “It appears to be a personal vendetta that lead to the crime. On a positive note though, he made sure the fire did not spread to the nearby woods.”
Neighbors tell us that Bear was seen arguing with the home owner, Woodsy the Owl, late last week. Owl was accused of littering frequently in Bear’s yard.
“I heard several loud roars come from Smokey’s house. He is usually quiet and sleeps a lot this time a year,” neighbor Jack Rollins tells us. “He and Woodsy were in a heated argument. Smokey was complaining about the trash in his front yard. Then I heard him say ‘How would you like it if I just burned your house down. You can’t prevent that type of fire’. He seemed really mad, but he is a little pissy sometimes when he wakes up.”
This is the second high profile arrest of 80’s era positive message mascot this week. McGruff the Crime Dog was arrested earlier on drug charges.
Woodsy the Owl was not available for comment on the situation. We received an email asking for privacy on the situation that said “Give a hoot you son of b*tch, my house just burned down, have a little respect”.
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