Bryce Lloyd
Tooele City police arrested a suspect in an arson case Wednesday but are looking for the public’s help in solving previous arsons in the city this summer.
Officers were notified of a small grass fire in the area of 70 W. Drysdale at approximately 3 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a release from Tooele City police. Utility boxes in the field were damaged in addition to a small area of the field.
About one hour later, officers were called back to the area for a second fire, similar in size to the initial blaze, police said.
A citizen notified police of suspicious activity in the area and officers arrested Bryce Lloyd, 23, of Tooele, in connection with the fires. He was booked into the Tooele County Detention Center for aggravated arson.
The fires Wednesday morning follow a number of suspicious fires in Tooele City throughout the summer.
Tooele City police were called to Overlake Elementary School on reports the playground was on fire on June 1. The playground equipment suffered extensive damage and had to be replaced.
Witnesses told police a gray pickup truck with several occupants was seen leaving the area after the fire started, according to the Tooele City police release.
On Aug. 21, officers responded to a small grass fire at Peterson Industrial Depot. Within 20 minutes, two additional fires were reported in the area and Tooele City Fire Chief Bucky Whitehouse deemed the fires suspicious.
During the police investigation of the fires, detectives acquired video surveillance footage of a gray pickup truck in the area at the time of ignition, the release said. The pickup was described as a newer-model, four-door Chevrolet Silverado with a sliding rear window.
In the release, Tooele City police said there is no clear evidence relating Lloyd’s arrest Wednesday morning to the fires at Overlake Elementary School or the Peterson Industrial Depot. Police are still investigating the potential that the fires in Overlake and the depot are related.
Anyone with information on the suspicious fires is asked to contact the Tooele City Police Department’s investigations division at 435-882-8900.