A 17-year-old Winfield teen has been charged with arson and two other teens with obstructing justice in connection with a fire that destroyed the Island Park playground Oct. 27.
Zachary Buhlke has appeared in Cowley County District Court in Winfield on the arson charge and is set to appear again Dec. 3, according to court records.
All suspects are being charged as juveniles.
Bret Martinez, 17, is scheduled to make his first court appearance Dec. 4. Christie Chaisson, 15, is to appear in court for the first time Nov. 24. Both Martinez and Chaisson face a single count of obstructing the legal process.
All three were taken into custody just days after the fire and were soon released to their parents.
An investigation revealed that one of the suspects – presumably Buhlke, who of the three, faces the most serious charge – was igniting small materials in the playground area when a fire quickly developed and spread beyond control. The suspects allegedly left without calling emergency services.
The playground was privately financed and built by volunteers. It was insured for $240,000 and an effort to rebuild it sometime this spring is already well under way.
Investigators have said the three showed remorse for their role in the incident which produced a blaze that rapidly consumed the four-year old playground. The city offered a reward early on to aid in the search for suspects.
There are people eligible for that reward should their be a conviction, city manager Warren Porter said.
