The last of three suspects accused of setting fire to a vacant house in Yellville earlier this year has been arrested. According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Dustin Brice Riner, 19, of rural Yellville, was taken into custody on Saturday.
The fire, which occurred on January 16, destroyed a house at 1434 North Broadway. Investigators say the property, valued at $15,380, had a history of vandalism and trespassing, but no one had been living there at the time.
Authorities received a tip 11 days after the fire implicating 20-year-old Christina Rose Johnston of Yellville, Riner, and 19-year-old Katelynn Marie Leppe, also of Yellville, in the incident. During an interview with investigators, Johnston reportedly admitted that she, Riner, and Leppe had entered the house and started a fire to stay warm. The fire spread uncontrollably, engulfing the structure and reducing it to a total loss.
Riner now faces felony charges of arson and breaking or entering, with a bond set at $15,000. Additionally, he is being held on a misdemeanor charge of failure to pay, carrying a bond of $220.
Johnston was arrested in August, while Leppe was taken into custody last month. Both women were charged with arson and breaking or entering and have since been released after posting $15,000 bond each. The investigation into the case is ongoing.