Federal, Local Officials Increase Reward For Information To $110,000 On Iconic Village Fire
By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor
Federal and local officials announced Friday morning the reward for information regarding the Iconic Village Fire has been increased to $110,000.
Officials from the City of San Marcos and the Houston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at the San Marcos Activity Center to make the announcement.
San Marcos Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said the reward would not be possible without the collaborative effort and support of federal and local agencies and the community.
According to officials, $25,000 was donated by ATF, $25,000 was donated by the City of San Marcos, $10,000 by the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and their membership, a total of $10,000 was donated by the families of the victims including the Ortiz and Frizzell families and $40,000 was donated by an anonymous donor from within the San Marcos business community.
It’s been over a year since the fire took the lives of five college students and destroyed many others.
Kistner said investigators have followed every lead that has been submitted to them, and they continue to do so.
“We frequently receive new leads and information,” Kistner said. “All of which are followed-up on until exhausted. Although no specific suspect has been identified, the investigative team is confident the case can and will be solved.”
Officials said they hope the higher reward will result in information that will lead them to the identification or the arrest of an individual to help move the case forward.
“We remember Dru, Belinda, Haley, David and James, and continue to cheer on Zach in his remarkable recovery,” said Kistner. “Five precious lives were lost in this fire, and it’s time for someone to step up and come forward with information to help solve this case for both the families and the community.”
ATF Assistant Special Agent In Charge, Mike Weddell said tips can be submitted by calling 1-888-ATF-TIPS (283-8477) or emailing ATFTips@atf.gov. Tips can also be submitted through the ReportIt app anonymously.
“We are one tip away from having this investigation solved,” Weddell said.
Kistner said he does believe they can and will solve the case of the fire at Iconic Village.
“We want to thank our partners at the ATF for their diligent efforts and for their participation in this collaborative reward,” said San Marcos Fire Chief Les Stephens. “Special thanks also to the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, to the families of Haley Frizzell and James Miranda, and to our anonymous donor.”
Additional donations to increase the reward will continue to be accepted and anyone interested should contact Fire Chief Les Stephens at lstephens@sanmarcostx.gov or call 512.805.2661.
Good news for the owners of Iconic Village. They have slipped all criminal responsiblity for this fire merely because a notorious group of federal agents in Houston now says the outcome of this fire was not due to any criminal liability of the owners. Correct, the BATFE now says some other unknown person or entity was responsible for the circumstances of premises liablilty and criminal negligence known both to the City and to the owner of this property for years prior to the event in question.
Fred Milanowski, special agent in charge of the Houston Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( you know, the “BATFE” …the same agency described by President Ronald Reagan as “jack-booted thugs”) on Nov. 30, 2018 declared the cause of this fire was “incendiary” meaning a device designed to cause fires, and the BATFE alleges this fire was intentionally set and will now be considered part of a criminal investigation. This means that the owner of this property known as Iconic Village–which for years was described by others as a death trap roach motel running wild with questionable activity day or night—now cannot be accused as the cause of that fire, because gosh, the BATFE says this slumlord owner is now the “victim of crime” who cannot be accused of committing these criminal acts. Got it?
Following this “official declaration” attorneys representing this owner have since filed new court papers saying the fire may have been caused by a “criminal third party” who hasn’t been identified. “Due to the nature of the incident in question, there is a reasonable probability that the incident in question was caused by an unknown criminal third party,” asserted by court papers filed by Houston attorney Jennifer Akre, defense attorney for the owner, who supported by BATFE findings, now claims that “There are no known identifying characteristics of the unknown criminal third party at this time.” Got it?
Not to let a good pretext go to waste, the City of San Marcos has made quite a bold statement in alleging it has now interviewed “over a hundred suspects”…….
Wow, that many potential arsonists running around town, huh? The City also says that “No further information about suspects or how the fire started can be released.” Now we’re getting to it… What the City means by this is ‘we can say anything we want to say without having to reveal whether it’s really true, or the actual number of suspects which may exist, if any.’
Gosh. That sure does clear things up for the big-money players. Or as the City would say, in the event that it went mad with honesty, “You pays your money, you takes your chances. Step Right Up! ”
hope you will solve this case
The usual suspects are unknown. These people and the city are saying this like we’re morons. Can’t agree beyond admitting the city knows we’re powerless to make them give up the ‘further information about suspects or how the fire started can be released’ so thanks for the heads up. Glad I don’t live in town anymore.