Police and firefighters responded to a blaze at the Durham, N.C., club on April 15, where the tennis building was engulfed in flames. Steven Watts, 18, was charged with arson of a commercial building, breaking and entering and larceny, according to police. Police have charged a man with setting a fire that engulfed the tennis…
Suspects Indicted in Bent Tree GC Arson Nearly Two Years Later
Aiden Mitchem, Skylar Reis, and Nicolas Robinson are facing charges of arson, criminal trespass, and vandalism after the fire started near the pro shop at the Jackson, Tenn., property on August 11, 2015. Damage to the golf course totaled more than $250,000.
Former Firefighter Charged in The Links at 434 Fires
Travis Michael Pierce has been charged with two counts of arson to a structure and burglary of an unoccupied structure in connection to two fires at the shuttered Altamonte Springs, Fla., golf course on January 1 and 4. The property has been closed for more than a year.
Madison (Ohio) CC Arsonist Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
Paul Forner pleaded guilty to setting the fire that destroyed the single-story clubhouse on the property. Laura Cooke, the club’s Manager of Operations, made a victim impact statement during the hearing, saying employees spent months resurrecting the building’s beauty.
Man Pleads Guilty in Madison (Ohio) CC Arson
Paul Forner, 51, has pleaded guilty to one count of attempted aggravated arson, and will be sentenced in November. The fire began on the morning of March 12 earlier this year and consumed the single-story clubhouse, resulting in a “total loss.”
Two Bent Tree GC Properties Cope with Damage
Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa saw 15 of its greens damaged by four-wheel-drive vehicles and all 18 flagsticks stolen. Bent Tree Golf Course in Jackson, Tenn., was the victim of arson on August 11, with damage estimated at $170,000.
Madison (Ohio) CC Open After Clubhouse Fire
The property’s clubhouse burned to the ground in March, but the golf course, pro shop and snack bar on the other side of the road are open and undamaged. Paul Forner was charged with aggravated arson in May in connection with the blaze.
Chimney Fire Damages Salishan Spa & Golf Resort
Damage to the 50-year-old lodge on the Gleneden Beach, Ore., property was estimated at “maybe $150,000 to $200,000.” In Ohio, a man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection to a fire that destroyed Madison (Ohio) Country Club in March.
Golf Course Crime Report: Firearms, Theft and Arson Sentencing
A man pulled out a gun over a pace-of-play dispute at Stanley GC in New Britain Conn., and lost his permit and firearm as a result. At LaTour GC in Mathews, La., about $48,000 in groundskeeping equipment was recently stolen, and the man accused of setting a fire at The Woods Resort in Hedgesville, W.Va., in 2013 has been sentenced to five years probation.
Arsonists Cause Nearly $1M in Damage at Myth GC
Police are looking for two suspected arsonists responsible for three “calculated” fires set at the Oakland Charter Township, Mich., property. A large pole barn containing maintenance equipment and a total of 57 golf carts were destroyed.
Juveniles Charged in Red Lion (Pa.) CC Arson
Three male juveniles admitted their involvement in the fire and will be charged with arson, burglary and criminal trespass. An investigation into the February 10 blaze determined that multiple fires had been set within the building.
Hunter GC Fire Ruled as Arson
Surveillance video captured a man allegedly setting a fire at the Meriden, Conn., club’s restaurant, Violi’s Restaurant, on June 2. The basement level of the restaurant has since reopened.
Dogwood Hills CC Cleans Up After Fire
A fire caused by arson burned the Portland, Tenn., club’s clubhouse to the ground in June, and members are doing their part to clear the site by removing rubble from the property and salvaging what they can. The club plans to start rebuilding by spring 2014, and in the meantime, Gallatin Country Club and the Franklin Country Club have welcomed Dogwood’s 110 members.
Suspicious Blaze Destroys 45 Golf Carts at Chick Evans GC
The Morton Grove, Ill., golf course is estimating damage at $135,000 after what authorities believe was a “most likely intentional” fire set by a tiki torch on September 2. The golf course has since reopened, despite 80% of its golf cart fleet being destroyed, and is using carts from nearby golf courses for the remainder of the season.
Arson Suspected in Palm Aire CC Clubhouse Blaze
An early morning incident earlier this month at the Palm Aire Country Club, Pompano Beach, Fla., started as a burglary and ended with the clubhouse up in flames, authorities said. The incident is being investigated as arson, reports the Sun Sentinel. The burglary at the clubhouse would have occurred at about 4 a.m. Later in…