Arson suspect is no stranger to crime

By Independent staff

Capt. Jason Darnell's stethoscope and county ID hang from the rearview mirror of his car Thursday afternoon at the McKinley County Fire Training facility in Gallup [Photo by Jeff Jones/iIndependent]

GALLUP — A White Cliffs volunteer firefighter who was charged with arson in connection with a string of local fires is no stranger to the criminal justice system.

Capt. Jason Darnell, 20, was charged with burglary and receiving stolen property for his alleged role in a break-in at Belliganas Indian Jewelry in July 2006, according to police records. The case was later reassigned to the Grants District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Darnell was later admitted into a preprosecution diversion program. If he successfully completed the program, the state of New Mexico would set aside prosecution of the case.

But in lieu of the recent allegations, local prosecutors plan to contact Grants officials and notify them of the violation of the program’s guidelines.

Grants District Attorney Lemuel Martinez did not immediately return a request for comment from the Independent.

Darnell was charged Thursday with multiple counts of arson after authorities connected him to at least three McKinley County fires. The most recent charge was the fire reported at Rehoboth Christian School on Tuesday. The school’s barn sustained extensive damage and several pieces of equipment were destroyed.

Darnell currently serves as captain for the White Cliffs volunteer fire department and often responded to the scenes of the suspicious blazes.

It is not procedure for officials to conduct background searches on its volunteers. But driver license checks are completed, but the inquiries only reveal minor infractions such as traffic violations.

“It would be something worth looking into,” County Attorney Doug Decker said of conducting more detailed background checks on the county’s volunteers.

He said the costs of background checks may have been the reason they were not used in the past. Decker said he learned of the situation and is not certain of Darnell’s future as a volunteer for McKinley County.

“It will be put in limbo until the criminal cases are resolved,” Decker said.

Hilda Bowman, the director of McKinley County Fire and Rescue, said she was not aware of Darnell’s prior arrest and was “disappointed” by his arrest on Thursday.

“We’re very disappointed,” Bowman said. “If he is the one who set those fires, I’m glad he got caught. One of my guys could have been hurt.”

McKinley County currently has more than 300 volunteer firefighters.

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