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FBI says guard admits arson role

Judge orders suspect held in custody until hearing Tuesday

From Terry Frieden and Paul Courson
CNN


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Aaron Speed, right, is escorted out of the Charles County Sheriff's Office in Maryland on Thursday.
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Authorities believe fires in Maryland subdivision were set.

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GREENBELT, Maryland (CNN) -- The 21-year-old security guard accused of burning down new houses in a Maryland subdivision admitted being present when the fires were set, and said he knew of the arson plan, according to an FBI affidavit released Friday.

Before he was taken into custody Thursday, Aaron Lee Speed told reporters that authorities "have the wrong man." (Full story)

But an affidavit by an FBI agent in support of the criminal complaint says Speed changed his story after failing a polygraph test later that day.

Speed made an initial appearance Friday afternoon in federal court in Greenbelt on charges he damaged or destroyed 16 homes in the upscale development 30 miles southeast of Washington.

Authorities said damage to the houses, many of which were under construction, probably would exceed $10 million.

Wearing a black T-shirt with a hooded Grim Reaper depicted on the back, Speed answered, "Yes, I do," when the judge asked if he understood the charges against him.

If convicted, Speed could be sentenced to five to 20 years in prison and fined up to $250,000.

Speed's court-appointed attorney, John Chamble, argued that he should be released on bond because he is not a flight risk.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Sanger said Speed, who lives in Waldorf, Maryland, should be detained because the charges constitute a crime of violence under federal statute.

The judge agreed and put Speed in the custody of U.S. marshals until a hearing set for 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Speed was brought to the courthouse Friday morning. His wife, Tamara, and a family friend arrived in a separate vehicle, but neither would take questions from reporters.

"She's pregnant and doesn't want to be upset," said the family friend, a woman who would not identify herself.

Law enforcement sources say investigators are searching for at least two other suspects in the case, and according to the FBI affidavit, "Speed claimed he was present at the location, along with others with whom he was acquainted, while the fires were being lit.

"Speed claimed that he knew of the plan by others known to him to set a fire at the location. He also asserted that he told others how to gain access to the site," the affidavit continued.

The affidavit cites comments investigators said Speed made to them during an interview a few days after the December 6 fires.

When asked how the fires might have started, the affidavit quotes Speed as saying, "Someone pouring an accelerant, followed by someone lighting it."

When asked how someone would light the accelerant, Speed is quoted as saying, "With a torch. With a hand held propane torch."

The affidavit notes a small propane torch was found at the scene.

The investigator who filed the complaint with the court, FBI Special Agent Joseph Bradley, said the suspect later stated, "It would take approximately 15 minutes to set each house on fire, and one full hour for the house to be fully engulfed in flames."

Speed also was asked who might have set the fire. He is quoted in the affidavit as replying, "Someone who works at the site and recently experienced a great loss."

The affidavit says Speed told investigators that he "suffered a great loss in the spring of 2004" when his infant son died.

Speed claimed his employer, Security Services of America, "was not sympathetic to his family's needs during their time of crisis," the document says.


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