A 72-year-old man has been arrested for a series of arson incidents in San Francisco’s Polk Gulch neighborhood, police said today.
Richard Koontz, a city resident, was arrested on Monday morning after investigators identified him as the suspect in at least six arson fires since Saturday, all of which occurred in the area of Polk and Hemlock streets, San Francisco police Sgt. Danielle Newman said.
Koontz was booked into custody on six counts of possession of flammable or combustible materials and six counts of arson, Newman said.
She said the fires caused some structure and property damage, but that investigators are not yet releasing information on what was burned.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police Inspector John Miller at (415) 920-2955. People wishing to remain anonymous can call (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411 with “SFPD” in the message.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
