Big Mac Bridge fire suspects used ‘evasive tactics’ to avoid contact

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Big Mac Bridge fire suspects used ‘evasive tactics’ to avoid contact

At least one of the suspects accused of setting the fire that severely damaged Interstate 471 at the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge was apprehended by a Hamilton County SWAT team, according to prosecutors.

Zachary Stumpf, 23, and Terry Stiles, 39, are charged with aggravated arson and will be held on $1 million bonds after their cases were heard in court Wednesday. Court documents state they intentionally started the fire that consumed the 1000 Hands Playground on Nov. 1. The southbound highway is expected to be closed through March.

Stiles did not appear before a judge Wednesday morning. A court official said he had to be placed in a restraint chair and made to wear a ***** screen that covered much of his face.

Cincinnati Fire Specialist Stephen Metz, who investigated the fire, said that authorities attempted to reach Stiles and Stumpf through relatives and others close to them.

Stiles “made it clear to them that he would never go back to jail, he’d rather die,” Metz said in court.

Prosecutors said Stiles and Stumpf used “evasive tactics” to avoid contact with investigators, adding that Stiles was ultimately apprehended by a Hamilton County SWAT team.

Two others have been charged with obstruction of justice in the case. Kaitlen Hall, 24, and James Hamilton, 26, are accused of misleading investigators as they searched for Stumpf and Stiles.

James Hamilton, 26, is arraigned on obstruction of justice charges at the Hamilton County Justice Center on Wednesday.

Hall and Hamilton are being held on $60,000 bonds.

All four defendants were arraigned Wednesday morning in Hamilton County Municipal Court by Judge Heather Russell.

Nothing was revealed in court Wednesday about the circumstances that led to the fire. Prosecutors did not say how the four knew each other but court documents list the same address for Stiles, Hall and Hamilton.

Officials last week estimated the repairs would cost “at least $10 million” but said the actual amount would not be known until the work is done.  The closures needed for the repairs have caused gridlock for drivers and heavy losses to businesses.

Previous report: 2 more charged in Big Mac Bridge fire; Cincinnati fire chief debunks homeless rumor

Investigators wrote in the documents that the Stiles and Stumpf “intentionally set a fire on a playground located under the interstate overpass.” The documents stated there were witnesses and video and photographic evidence.

Hall was arrested Tuesday. She is accused of refusing to cooperate when questioned about Stumpf and Stiles and giving false information.

Kaitlen Hall, 24, is arraigned on obstruction of justice charges at the Hamilton County Justice Center on Wednesday.

Investigators have not said exactly how the suspects are connected. Court documents say Hall had been friends with Stumpf for more than six years and that she knew Stiles.

“Essentially, it’s just words, your honor,” Darceny Winston, Hall’s public defender, told the judge. “That is what she’s charged with is words.”

However, investigators said Hall had been “completely uncooperative” with the investigation and was at the scene of the fire.

Zachery Stumpf, 23, is arraigned on aggravated arson charges at the Hamilton County Justice Center on Wednesday.

Court documents list the same address for Hall, Stiles and Hamilton in Arlington Heights. Stumpf’s address is listed in Owensville in Clermont County.

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 after he was accused of hitting and shaking his girlfriend’s infant son, Carl Legget Jr., causing brain damage. Stiles served eight years in prison. 

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, but those charges were dismissed. A judge said he had already served time for a lesser offense.

Terry Stiles after his arrest in 2019.

Court documents do not indicate a motive for the fire. It is unclear why the fire was set but Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley said Tuesday night the suspects are not homeless, as many speculated.

Officials also have not said what accelerants were used in the fire that started in the playground just below the bridge on Cincinnati’s riverfront. Flames reached up over 40 feet and were so high that some witnesses thought a vehicle was on fire on the roadway.

Court records named a truck driver, Austin Steinmann, as the victim of the fire. Steinmann happened to be on the bridge when the fire broke out but said he was not targeted.

Enquirer reporters Sharon Coolidge, Cameron Knight and Patricia Gallagher Newberry contributed.

Repair timeline: Daniel Carter Beard Bridge repairs expected to take until March

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer:

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