State fire marshal urges extending arson statute of limitations from five to 10 years

State Fire Marshal Dan Scribe told the Public Safety and Judiciary Conference Committee on May 8 that extending the statute of limitations for first‑degree arson from five to 10 years would help investigators and prosecutors assemble complex cases that can span multiple years.

Scribe said his office is asked to assist many local jurisdictions that lack trained fire investigators and that modern arson investigations increasingly depend on electronic evidence such as doorbell and security camera footage and financial records. “A lot of what we see for our investigations is not necessarily just made at the scene,” Scribe said, describing the time needed to obtain electronic data and subpoenas.

The issue matters because, Scribe…