A Village of Oak Creek man was arrested on Monday, Jan. 6 for allegedly starting fires and later stealing a van in the area.
Around 6:45 a.m. an employee at the Circle K on the 6000 block of Highway 179 in the Village of Oak Creek called the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to report his 2004 maroon mini van had been stolen. The employee had left his van running unattended to warm it up before his shift ended. After about 15 minutes, the employee went outside and realized the van was gone.
Deputies who showed up at the Circle K patrolled the area and were not able to locate the vehicle. Security video showed the van last headed north on Highway 179.
Just before 8 a.m., a YCSO deputy spotted the stolen van being driven through the parking lot at the Hillside Sedona shopping center on the 600 block of State Route 179. The YCSO deputy stopped the van and detained the driver.
The driver was identified as MacKenzie Boswell, 31, of Village of Oak Creek. The deputy noted that upon contact, Boswell smelled of smoke. The deputy found nearly $300 in cash in Boswell’s pocket. It was later determined that the cash had been stolen from the van and belonged to the van’s owner.
Boswell eventually admitted that he stole the van, and deputies arrested him and booked him into the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde. Evidence was removed from the van and the van and cash were returned to the owner, undamaged.
Around 8 a.m., YCSO were dispatched to the 100 block of Vista Mesa Drive in the Village of Oak Creek regarding several small fires visible near a vacant home. The property where the fires occurred had an abandoned barn and a large pond. Neighbors had worked to extinguish several fires on the property before members of the Sedona Fire District arrived and controlled the fires.
During the fire investigation, a propane torch was found in the pond. The pond was surrounded by dead and dry grass, weeds and bushes that had been burned. It was determined that the fires were human-caused, and most likely started with the found propane torch.
A neighbor of the property where the fire occurred told deputies he had an interaction with Boswell the previous evening, on Sunday, Jan 5. The man said Boswell had come to his door asking for food. Boswell told the man he was just out of rehab and staying in the barn next door. The man did not give Boswell food, and Boswell went back to the barn.
Later that day, deputies from the Yavapai County Detention Center met with officials who had investigated the arson. The deputy who had booked Boswell reported that upon arrival, Boswell had smelled like smoke, was in possession of a cigarette lighter, matches, a label from a fireworks package and gloves.
YCSO learned that several items were stolen from neighbors in the area where the fire occurred on Vista Mesa Drive, including the gloves that Boswell was in possession of, a flashlight that was found in the van and the propane torch found in the pond that is thought to have started the fire.
According to YCSO spokesperson Dwight D’Evelyn, while Boswell admitted to stealing the van, he refused to talk about anything arson-related.
In addition, the Sedona Police Department found a broken window in a building on Royal Glen Lane the same day, which is minutes away from where Boswell was apprehended in the stolen van. Boswell confessed to breaking the window when he was contacted about it.
Boswell’s charges include vehicle theft, property theft, vandalism, trespassing and unlawful burning. He remains in custody on a $5,250 bond.
D’Evelyn told the Sedona Red Rock News that for what Boswell was charged with, his bond amount “does seem like a low number” and that he “is not privy as to wether that was discussed or not with the county attorney.” However, D’Evelyn added he is not aware of all the factors that the court uses to determine bond amounts.
— Alexandra Wittenberg
Larson Newspapers
