Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

One Suspect Arraigned; Second Arrest Expected In Fire

By JOHN MILLER

In the wee hours of the dawn on a damp, foggy night Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Emmet School gymnasium was burned to the ground.

There was little doubt from the outset the fire had been set intentionally, especially when law enforcement officials found evidence of burned clothing in the area.

This led officers to Latisha Leianna Ward, 17, of Hope, a former student at Emmet, and her husband, Richard Matthew Ward, 19, of Hope.

She was arrested and charged with arson on Nov. 19 by Arkansas State Police. This is a class Y felony, carrying a sentence of 10 to 40 years or life in the state penitentiary.

According to court records, her involvement in the fire was in connection with her husband, who is in a Little Rock hospital for burns apparently suffered from the incident.

She allegedly gave a statement to ASP investigator Scott Clark and CID Lt. Mike Fletcher admitting her involvement and knowledge of the fire.

Records state she saw her husband, Matt, exit a vehicle she was driving in Emmet near the location of the closed Emmet Grocery Store. He reportedly had two containers filled with gasoline at the time.

She, reports state, continued riding around, but stopped on a street behind the school. At this time, according to the records, she saw her husband come running from between the gym and the school.

At the time, the reports state, he was on fire. She then left the car and helped her husband extinguish the flames. Ward then took him to Medical Park Hospital for treatment of the burns. He was later transferred to a Little Rock hospital.

The gym, according to records, was completely destroyed, with the fire resulting in damages exceeding more than $100,000.

Ward's bond was set at $200,000 in a hearing Thursday, Nov. 21. Her attorney in the case is Chuck Honey, who entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf.

She is scheduled to have a pre-trial hearing May 7, 1997, with her trial scheduled for May 19, 1997.

Eighth Judicial District Circuit Judge Phillip Purifoy had originally set the bond at $250,000 for Ward, but reduced it later.

Dr. Gene Ross, superintendent of the Emmet School District, said a representative from the district's insurance company came down Tuesday morning to discuss the blaze.

Dr. Ross said the school has replacement insurance for the gym, but can never replace the memories lost in the fire. Along with the bleachers, clock and goals destroyed, there were photographs of graduating classes and trophies dating back to the 1920's and 30's. These items, he said, can never be replaced.

However, the district didn't skip a beat and classes were held on schedule Tuesday morning.

The home basketball game between the Eagles and Delight Bulldogs was cancelled Nov. 19, and will not be made up.

This, though, does not mean the season is over for the team. Dr. Ross said the Eagles only have three home games left. The game with Saratoga will be transferred there, while the other two remaining contests could be played in Prescott if the details can be worked out.

Otherwise, all of Emmet's remaining games were on the road.

Dr. Ross said they were lucky in that only two uniforms and two pair of shoes used by the students were lost in the fire. There were, he said, other uniforms burned, but not ones worn in games. These uniforms have already been replaced by donations to the school, he said.

In addition, the Eagles can practice on goals salvaged from the fire by Coach Richard Stivers. These goals have been erected on the tennis court, where the teams work out on nice days.

When there is inclement weather, Dr. Ross said, the squads have been using the Prescott Middle School gym.

"We'll survive," he said.

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Nevada County Sheriff Harold Vines, along with Fletcher, held a press conference to let the public know an arrest had been made in the case.

Vines said Ward is being held in the Nevada County jail but refused to go into detail about the case. He did say another suspect was involved and expected to be arrested, naming Ward's husband, Matt.

Vines said Ward's husband was in a Little Rock hospital with burns on the lower part of his body.

Fletcher praised the Texarkana Fire Department for bringing their arson dog, Zeus, in to help.

He said Matt Ward has not yet been officially charged, though charges are expected against him.

According to Fletcher, the two were former students at Emmet and apparently were upset with someone connected with the school.

He said the two gave two different stories at MPH, saying they had been roasting marshmallows, then saying they were roasting wieners when Matt Ward was burned. A third story circulating had them burning garbage at 1 a.m.

However, investigation into the case has shown arson to be the cause of the blaze.

Dr. Ross, when asked why this may have happened, said the girl was attending the Garland Learning Center in Hope, where she was working on her general equivalency degree (GED).

He said Emmet has a tuition agreement with Garland and had sent a young man there Monday, Nov. 18.

Dr. Ross got a call saying he couldn't sent this particular student there because the Wards had a restraining order against him (the student) because of a prior problem.

That night, Dr. Ross said, the gym burned. He was notified of the fire at approximately 1:30 a.m.

By the time he arrived on the scene, the roof had already cave in.

"It's like losing a member of the family," he said of the fire. "We'll come out OK financially, but the scars will never heal."

While the school had replacement cost insurance for the gym, it only had $7,500 worth of insurance for the contents. Dr. Ross said the insurance company will also pay up to $500 for items belonging other people. The clock, he said, is being considered part of the building.

Dr. Ross praised the fire departments for their effort in fighting the fire and saving the rest of the school.

He said if not for the fire departments in the area, the main school could have burned as well.

As it was, he said, some shingles were heated into charcoal from the blaze, while 10 windows will have to be replaced.

A metal building about six feet behind the gym was saved as some firefighters concentrated on keeping water poured on it while others fought the main fire.

Dr. Ross said he has already met with an architect, who will have preliminary drawings to show the Emmet School Board when it meets Dec. 2.

He said it is important to get the board's input and start the bid process as soon as possible. "We hope to be in the (new gym) next ball season," he said.

"I thank all the fire departments for their response," Dr. Ross continued. "If not for them we wouldn't have a school. We could have lost it all."

Dr. Ross also heaped praise on the people of Emmet, saying their concern