Tucson police arrested a 14-year-old boy Thursday in connection with a series of arson and vandalism incidents on the east side.
Robert Lee Jones was booked into the Pima County Juvenile Correctional Center on multiple felony counts of arson of a structure, criminal damage, arson of property and burglary, said Sgt. Maria Hawke, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman.
Jones is suspected of tagging graffiti on several vehicles and setting fire to other vehicles, including two vans at a day-care center, and a recycling bin, Hawke said in a news release.
The incidents began early Wednesday when the Tucson Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire in the 2200 block of South Camino Seco.
When firefighters arrived, they also learned of another blaze set in the recycling bin in the 2300 block of South Camino Seco, as well as graffiti in the area.
At about 10 p.m. Wednesday, police officers responded to a burglary alarm the La Petite Academy child-care center, 8885 E. Golf Links Road, but did not find any evidence of a break-in.
Officers arrived at the child-care center at 2 a.m. Thursday after another burglary alarm went off. This time, police saw two La Petite vans on fire and also noticed a fire in the building.
Firefighters extinguished the building fire, which did not cause any structural damage.
A police dog was used to track a scent from the center to a nearby home.
The suspect was not home when officers arrived, but his mother called police late Thursday morning after he came home.
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