Utah Teen Arrested for Arson

A Utah teen was sent to a local youth detention facility after she allegedly committed arson at the junior high school she attends.

Footage from the school’s security system helped identify her, but her name has not been released to the public. The fire started in one of the girls’ bathrooms and caused the entire school to be evacuated until the fire was extinguished by the school’s principal. Fortunately, no one was injured.

When a Utah teen is arrested by law enforcement, he is usually considered to have committed an offense, not necessarily a crime. Except in more extreme cases, juveniles are not treated as adults—although juvenile judges do refer to Utah law when it comes to determining the type of offense committed by a Utah teen.

In Utah, a person is guilty of arson if he uses fire or explosives to illegally and intentionally damage the property of another person or with the intention to defraud an insurer. If the damage from an act of arson is or exceeds $5000, the charge is normally a second degree felony. The charge may be as low as a class B misdemeanor is the damage is less than $500.

If your Utah teen has been charged with committing an offense, don’t wait to contact a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Any child going through the Utah juvenile justice system needs and deserves expert legal representation, regardless of what they may have been charged with. Get your child the help that may make a long-term difference in his life; call a Utah juvenile defense attorney today.