April 30, 2011 Shoplifter arrested for arson in K-Mart blaze www.privateofficer.com
SPANAWAY, Wash.April 30 2011 — Police have arrested a woman suspected in the Kmart arson case.
Valeria Holler is suspected of intentionally starting what grew to be a two-alarm fire at the store earlier this month.
Investigators said Holler, 22, is the woman who was captured by surveillance cameras and had been named a person of interest in the case.
Det. Ed Troyer said a tip from Crime Stoppers led investigators to Holler, who was arrested by Lakewood police on Friday afternoon.
The Kmart blaze appeared to have started in the back of the store in the hardware area, fire officials said. The blaze set off aerosol canisters, which exploded and shot across the store. The store quickly filled with smoke, but everyone managed to evacuate safely.
Damage to the Kmart store was estimated at $3 million to store inventory due to “extensive smoke damage” and $250,000 to the structure.
Police have not tied Holler to the arson at the nearby Dollar Tree store on the same night. Investigators have noted similarities between the two fires. Both blazes were started with a flammable liquid in the back of the store, they said.
Two store clerks at the Dollar Tree store managed to douse the flames using fire extinguishers, and no one was injured.
Holler has an extensive criminal history that includes convictions for felony residential burglary, theft, assault and harassment.
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