Bail set at $500,000 for man suspected of starting west Olympia fires

The man arrested on suspicion of starting fires at an apartment complex and a church in west Olympia appeared in Thurston County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon.

Judge John Skinder found probable cause to charge David M. Naeole, 22, of Olympia with first- and second-degree arson and ordered him held on $500,000.

Before setting bail, Skinder heard from two victims of the fires, one of which was Tim Heffer, lead pastor of Hidden Creek Community Church.

Heffer told the court when he arrived at the church Monday morning, firetrucks had filled the parking lot. He saw the entire lower section of the church had been damaged by fire. He told the court the damaged area was used to distribute food through the Thurston County Food Bank, and now the building will no longer be usable for months.

Prosecuting attorney Ali Abid had requested that bail be set at $200,000, but Heffer asked the judge to raise the amount. “I know that those victims — especially those who lost their homes — would have greater confidence in their safety and security if the bail was a lot higher and if he could be held in custody longer.”

According to the probable cause statement filed in court, a suspect described as a “tall thin male with a man bun, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, shorts and shoes with reflective material on the top near the laces” was caught on surveillance video inside Hidden Creek church with a canister of accelerant that had an ignited torch on the canister’s top, lighting something on fire before exiting the camera’s frame which was then filled by smoke.

An officer who saw the video said he knew who the suspect was. When heading to a third fire at the nearby Fern Crest Apartments, the officer saw a man heading in the opposite direction wearing a red hoodie with black shorts and shoes. After helping residents evacuate their apartments, the officer was able to locate and make contact with the man he saw walking past him in an alleyway north of the three fires. There, the officer was able to identify the man as David Naeole and said he was carrying with him several DVDs and a katana sword which he had on his belt, the statement read.

The officer did not arrest Naeole in the alley; instead he went back and spoke with the church’s pastor and watched the footage again. After reviewing the footage, the officer identified Naeole as the suspect captured on camera and alerted other officers and a Thurston County Sheriff’s K9 unit to be on the look out for Naeole.

In the alley where Naeole was initially contacted, a K9 found a spray can and a DVD. Officers then went to Naeole’s apartment and arrested him, court records say.

According to the statement, the officer who had first contacted Naeole said when Naeole was arrested, he was wearing the same black shorts and shoes the suspect in the church video footage was wearing. He was taken to the Olympia Police Department for questioning.

Meanwhile, a resident of Fern Crest apartments was interviewed by officers and told them a thin man in a red hoodie with a beard had been filming or photographing the fire at the apartments that morning. The statement said the witness lived in the far west end of the complex, and outside his garage a burnt spray can was discovered near the fire’s “possible point of origin.”

A search warrant for Naeole and his apartment was obtained.

In an OPD holding cell, an officer recognized Naeole as the suspect in the church video based on his black shorts, his shoes with reflective paneling and his small beard. The officer then swabbed Naeole for accelerant and other fire-related particulates, obtained DNA samples from him, and took his clothes, according to the statement.

When his apartment was searched, a ukulele was among the items discovered, the statement read. An officer remembered the witness who lived in the Fern Crest apartments saying a ukulele he kept in his garage was missing after the fire. When the officer asked the witness to describe the ukulele, his description matched the one discovered in Naeole’s apartment. The officer then sent photos of the instrument to the witness, according to the statement, and he confirmed it was his ukulele.

Naeole declined to be interviewed by detectives and ATF agents when he was arrested, the statement read. Naeole instead requested a lawyer and was taken to the Thurston County Jail to await his hearing.

Defense Attorney Andrew Yi argued in court against raising Naeole’s bail, saying that Naeole is unemployed with no source of income, has two infant daughters, has no prior convictions and his apartment is provided to him through Community Youth Services. Additionally, Yi requested that rather than being detained in jail, Naeole be put on electronic home monitoring so he may continue to care for his daughters.

After hearing arguments and listening to victims, Judge Skinder said, “It was difficult to imagine a much more dangerous situation that potentially could have impacted many people — and it did already — but it could have impacted people in a way of causing serious physical harm and death.”

Skinder continued, “When I look at the allegations that have been brought ... I am extremely concerned for public safety. I am going to be setting bail in the amount of $500,000 cash or bond.”

Naeole’s arraignment is scheduled for Aug 25.