A Stroud man faces six felony charges accusing him of setting wildfires in Lincoln County over a period of nearly a year.
Two counts of second degree arson and four counts of third degree arson were formally filed Dec. 28 in Lincoln County District Court against Chad Michael Hutson, 48.
Associate District Judge Sheila Kirk set Hutson’s bond at $250,000. He made his initial appearance before her on Dec. 28 and the judge scheduled the matter for 1 p.m. Jan. 23.
In a probable cause affidavit, Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Tony Long states he arrested Hutson at his residence on Tuesday morning, Dec. 20, around 11 a.m. and transported him to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for booking.
According to the affidavit, Long said after arriving at the Sheriff’s Office Hutson was placed in the interview room. When Special Agent Ryan Hensley of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Long began the interview, Hutson waived his right to an attorney and requested to speak about the fires.
In the affidavit, Hutson told investigators that he had uncontrollable urges to set fires but would immediately feel remorse shortly after igniting them. Hutson further informed them he thought these urges to set fire might be from a possible brain injury he thought he sustained as a child.
Hutson advised Long and Hensley he would take them to the scene of several fires and provide them an explanation of each fire’s origin.
Long said he placed Hutson in his patrol unit and Hutson directed Long to each location. At the scene of each arson, Hutson provided details of how each fire was ignited.
Each location he took Long and Hensley to corresponds to each of the six arson charges against him.
Long stated Hutson directed them to his residence, an RV/Camper, and he voluntarily surrendered the blue lighter used to ignite the fires on County Roads 740 and 750.
Hutson also informed the two investigators that he had set over two dozen fires during the last five years but couldn’t remember the location of each fire.
The affidavit says that Hutson has a former arson conviction out of Logan County.
The first of the second degree arson charges accuses Hutson on about March 13, 2022 in Lincoln County of causing a church and uninhabited/unoccupied building/structure located on County Road 3430 to be burned.
The other second degree arson count charges him on about Oct. 21, 2022 in Lincoln County of causing a farmhouse, an uninhabited /unoccupied building structure located on County Road 750, one quarter mile west of County Road 3470 to be burned.
The first of the four third degree arson counts accuses Hutson on Dec.24 , 2021 in Lincoln County of setting fire to or burning land on 8th Street, one half mile west of South Industrial Road.
The second third degree arson count alleges that Hutson on March 5, 2022, in Lincoln County set fire to or burning land on County Road 920, one eighth mile west of County Road 3470.
In the next third degree arson count it charges Hutson on March 13, 2022 in Lincoln County of setting fire to or burning land on 15th Street, one half mile west of South Industrial Road.
The fourth third degree arson charge accuses Hutson on Oct. 21, 2022 in Lincoln County of setting fire to or burning land on County Road 740, one half mile west of County Road 3470.
If convicted of the two second degree arson counts and the four third degree arson charges, Hutson could be sentenced up to 110 years in prison and fined up to $80,000.