2 accused of lying, setting pants on fire
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Local investigators allege two men are liars and that the pair set Wal-Mart pants on fire.
The two suspects in an alleged arson inside the Panama City Beach Walmart Supercenter were charged in connection to the 2008 fire, investigators with the state fire marshal's office said Wednesday.
Justin Cable, 19, and Vincent Vieira, 19, are charged with arson of an occupied structure. Investigators said the two men tore pants down from the racks at the Front Beach Road store and set them on fire with a red lighter on Nov. 12, 2008. The duo originally told investigators that they saw the pants on fire and stomped the fire out while warning others by screaming, "Fire, fire."
However, Cable told investigators on Nov. 14 that a third person had set the fire. Then, he changed his story, saying Vieira had set the fire while Cable acted as lookout, investigators said.
"Vieira then gave Cable legal advice, stated ‘the police does not have anything or we would have already been in jail,'" Sgt. John Deegins wrote in a complaint affidavit.
Cable then charged his story again, saying he could not remember anything because he was so intoxicated during the incident, Deegins wrote.
Eventually, investigators at the state fire marshal's office were able to enhance video surveillance at the Walmart and determined that Cable and Vieira were the only ones in the vicinity of the fire during the incident. By then, the two men had fled the area, authorities said. Cable was arrested March 12; Vieira was arrested on May 27.
Lt. Les Nelson of the state fire marshal's office said he was glad the two men had been nabbed.
"We didn't know if they were going to start a fire again in another part of the state," Nelson said.
Maj. David Humphreys of the Panama City Beach Police Department said the incident showed a disregard for human life.
"If you get people scared and running around in a place like Walmart, you could get people trampled," Humphreys said. "Obviously, these people need to be away from society for a while."
By Brady Calhoun | newsherald