Pair charged with setting barn fires face additional charges

A Northampton woman and a former junior firefighter already charged with setting multiple barn fires in the area have now been charged with causing several vehicle fires.

Samantha Keeney, 24, and Justin Emmons, 19, both of Northampton, on Wednesday waived their preliminary hearings on charges related to the two Lehigh Township and Allen Township blazes.

Both face three counts each of arson; causing a catastrophe; reckless burning; criminal mischief; and criminal trespass for those incidents.

Emmons faces an additional three counts of reckless endangerment and conspiracy, as well as a single count of agricultural vandalism. Keeney also faces one count of reckless endangerment and three counts of agricultural vandalism.

Those charges now head to Northampton County Court.

Keeney was charged April 4 in connection with the barn fires at 3646 Cedar Drive and 786 Fir Drive in Lehigh Township and 4413 Cherryville Road, Allen Township.

Emmons was taken into custody April 5 on a traffic stop by Pennridge Regional Police Department.

Keeney has been held in lieu of $270,000 bail, while Emmons has been held in lieu of $120,000 bail in the fire cases.

On Wednesday, Northampton Borough Police filed reckless burning and other charges against Keeney and Emmons for their roles in a March 23 car fire and a March 29 truck fire in the borough.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Detectives Glenn Deist of the Northampton Borough Police Department:

At 5:06 a.m. March 23, officers responded to a working vehicle fire in the area of the 400 block of East 10th Street. The silver 2015 Dodge Dart had three flat tires at the time which appeared to be punctured.

At 3:25 a.m. March 29, officers responded to a second vehicle, a white 1999 Ford F-250, on fire at the same address. The fire also involved the side of a garage the vehicle was parked next to.

Emmons knew both owners of the vehicles.

Emmons told police that Keeney was the one setting the fires and that she set the truck on fire.

At the time of the truck fire, Emmons was scheduled for a polygraph test, but he failed to show for the interview.

Keeney, who was eventually arrested by state police for the barn fires, was interviewed and said that she has set the truck on fire and that Emmons had set the car on fire as well as cutting three of the tires on the car and one on the truck.

On the vehicle fires, both face charges of reckless burning, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering another person, and remain incarcerated in the Northampton County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail.

They are scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on the new charges June 5 before District Judge Robert Hawke of Walnutport.