Accused arsonist faces May court date

By Carrie J. Sidener

Published: March 27, 2008

A man police say set at least two woods fires in Bedford County will appear in court in May.

Michael Moccy Pollard, 21, of Lynch Station was arrested last month on two counts of malicious setting fire to woods or grass, class 6 felonies. His preliminary hearing is set for May 12.

Pollard could face up to five years in prison.

Pollard was charged after a small woods fire was set in Huddleston on Feb. 28, said John Campbell of the Virginia Department of Forestry. A forester responded to a wildland fire call around 7 p.m. that night. While extinguishing the blaze, the forester found a footprint and called in a bloodhound team to try to find the person to whom it belonged.

The following day, the bloodhounds, Roxie and Summer, along with forestry technicians from Bedford, Carroll, Rockbridge, Mecklenburg and Lee counties inspected the area and familiarized the bloodhounds with the footprint and followed it to the suspect’s front door.

After an interview, Pollard confessed to setting the fire on Feb. 28 and another one that burned one-quarter of an acre on Aug. 29, Campbell said.

“This case is proof that training, patience and a little luck do pay off,” Todd Kready, a Bedford County forester, said in a news release.

“That area of the county has experienced a number of suspicious fires over the past 12 months, and we’ve spent a lot of time investigating each and every one. It’s a good feeling to know that if this individual is convicted, he won’t be able to threaten the lives and property of other Bedford County residents.”