Spokane police arrest woman suspected of arson at over 20 properties

Spokane police officers arrested a woman Tuesday suspected of starting a string of fires involving more than 20 burned properties all set Monday morning, according to a news release.

Police found Stephanie Register, 36, at the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza and booked her into jail on one count of second- degree arson with more charges pending.

Both commercial and residential properties were burned or damaged in the series of fires at multiple locations, including 10 U-Haul trucks, five personal vehicles, a garage, fencing and several garbage cans.

Officers responded to a report of fire and gunshots a few blocks north of North Town Mall Monday, according to a news release. Officers found two cars on fire and small explosions coming from the fires, which they believed led to reports of gunfire.

Michala Mowery woke to a boom at about 2:30 a.m. and found her partner’s pickup on fire in front of her home on East Crown Avenue. The alarm of the black Ford F-150 belonging to David Wilde was going off and the fire was climbing up toward a tree in the front yard. Their neighbor’s white truck also was engulfed in flames, she said.

The Spokane Fire Department put the fires out in under 20 minutes, she said.

The Spokane Police Department received many tips from the public that helped lead to Register’s arrest, according to the release.