DNA links Llano man to 11 brush fires

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - A year-long investigation has led to the arrest of a Llano man in connection with nearly a dozen brush fires. Llano County authorities charged William Harden, 24, with arson, after linking DNA evidence to eleven intentionally-set blazes from last February and March in the central and western parts of the county.

“It looked like it had been total chaos,” said Llano County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Glen Williams.

Williams stared at the charred bits of shrubbery, reminders of a six-hour stretch that set CR 216 and several other county roads ablaze one year ago.

"We were under a burn ban,” Williams said, “a drought situation. We were lucky a bunch of them didn't get out of hand."

In the time since that night, life returned to those roadsides, and evidence submitted to the Department of Public Safety Crime Lab connected the suspect to the crime. Harden, a local painter, was the same man Williams’ office arrested that night for driving while intoxicated.

"He crashed his car on County Road 413 not too far from a fire," Williams said.

Most of the 11 fires were away from any homes. The closest structure was a house, which escaped damage by a hundred yards.

As the flames spread, some burned as many as five acres in some areas. It took every firefighter in Llano County, plus some from surrounding communities to extinguish them.

"(It) stretched beyond their limits,” Williams said, “but did a real good job of getting them contained and getting them out before they could just get real big."

As officials work to build a case against the suspect and possibly tie him to more fires in San Saba County to the north, Williams said he hopes this arrest teaches would-be arsonist a lesson.

“They're putting a lot of lives in danger doing this."

KXAN dropped by Harden’s Llano home and spoke to a man at the door, who said Harden had “nothing to say.”

“It ain’t nobody’s business.”

Harden was out of the Llano County Jail on Thursday, the day after his arrest, on a $5,000 bond.