Possible Witness To Pang Fire Surrenders

A possible witness in the Pang warehouse fire case has surrendered to authorities after being found in Colorado by a bounty hunter.

Kevin Hook appeared in Bellevue District Court on Thursday and was released on $2,000 bail.

Hook, who went into hiding in Denver last month, has said he won’t testify against Martin Pang, his former roommate, who is accused of setting fire to his parents’ warehouse in Seattle’s International District.

Four firefighters died in the blaze last January.

Pang, 40, is being held in jail in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while U.S. and Brazilian authorities negotiate his return to face charges in Washington state.

The Supreme Court in Brazil has authorized Pang’s extradition only to face a charge of arson. King County wants to prosecute him on murder charges. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said Thursday that the federal government will try to negotiate an agreement that would let Pang be tried on a charge that would fit the crime.

Hook has said in an affidavit that Pang asked him in 1993 to set fire to the warehouse. Hook’s lawyer, Bill Tri, cited the affidavit in Bellevue District Court to establish his client’s importance in the Pang case.

But Judge Joel Rindal said he had contacted the Seattle Police Department, and “they said they weren’t much interested in him.”