Boston Latin School student arrested on arson charges

By adamg on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 6:05pm

BLS logo The Boston Fire Department reports arson investigators arrested a 16-year-old male student at the exam school around 5 p.m. in connection with three fires over the past three days.

The student, not immediately identified, will be arraigned tomorrow, the day after a third fire sent students and staff into the street again and fire inspectors and police swarmed the school, looking for evidence and witnesses and handing anonymous-tip-line pamphlets to arriving students. The Fire Department said the investigation is continuing.

"We look forward to an uninterrupted day of learning," school Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta told parents in a robocall tonight. She said that police will maintain a heightened presence at the school tomorrow.

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Comments

I love that comment

By Kathoadraytube on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 8:34pm.

From the headmaster. I would also like my kid to have an uninterrupted day of learning with no texts from him about fires!

Only charged with one fire

By adamg on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 12:39pm.

Boston Police report the student, a Roxbury resident not otherwise identified because of his age, was only charged with Wednesday's fire, not Tuesday's or Monday's. They say he'd been spotted near the third-floor boy's restroom immediately after the fire.

He was scheduled for arraignment today on charges of disturbing a school assembly and burning personal property

Would be interested in

By anon on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 5:28pm.

Would be interested in hearing the motive of the fire starter. Plenty of students and their parents would love for their kids to have an opportunity to attend Boston Latin. This kid just threw it away. What a waste.

Latin students are still teens

By SwirlyGrrl on Thu, 01/12/2012 - 8:06pm.

The third group comprises adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18. These youth tend to have a long history of undetected fire-play and firestarting behavior. Their current firesetting episodes are usually either the result of psychosocial conflict and turmoil or intentional criminal behavior. They have a history of school failure and behavior problems, and are easily influenced by their peers.

Over half of intentionally set fires are set by children under 18. Somehow, I don't think the select group that attends Latin would be immune to this, despite a possible lack of school failure issues.

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