A juvenile has been arrested for starting fires on Thursday and Saturday at E.B. Frink Middle School in La Grange.

On Thursday at around 6 p.m., Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Frink due to an alarm. Deputies arrived to find a wreath on fire on the front door of the school. Deputies extinguished the fire and started their investigation.

Thanks to the school’s security footage, deputies gathered a suspect description and canvassed the La Grange area; however, they were unable to locate the juvenile subject.

On Saturday around 1 p.m., the La Grange Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to Frink due to a fire at an outbuilding on the property. Although the fire department quickly extinguished the flames, it caused substantial damage to the building.

LCSO B-shift deputies located the juvenile suspect — a former Frink student — who matched a description seen on security footage shortly before the fire was started. The juvenile suspect was taken into custody; he was also carrying a stolen and loaded firearm.

A search warrant was executed at the juvenile’s residence; items of evidence were located that linked the suspect to the Thursday incident.

The juvenile suspect was transported to the Pitt County Juvenile Detention Center and was charged with:

·      Two counts of burning of schoolhouses or buildings of educational institutions

·      Possession of a weapon on educational property

·      Possession of a stolen firearm

·      Possession of a handgun by a minor

·      Damage to real property

·      Breaking and entering

·      Second-degree trespassing