HANOVER, Pa. - A Hanover man, Derek Raymond Graham, 20, has been arrested in a series of arson fires over night and this morning in the Borough.
Graham was arrested with the help of a citizen shortly before 1:00 pm this afternoon. The citizen, 24 year old David Dranbayer of Hanover, spotted Graham acting suspiciously within an alley along the 400 block of Pleasant Street. Dranbayer confronted Graham who attempted to flee from the area. Dranbayer held Graham at the scene after noticing smoke nearby.
Officers arrived on the scene to find a car on fire that was parked under a carport attached to an occupied residence. Graham was arrested in connection to the fire and subsequently interviewed. During the course of the investigation and interview, another attempted arson fire was discovered in the 300 block of Terrace Avenue which had burned itself out and was later found this afternoon by the homeowner and reported to police while Graham was in custody.
The investigation and interview also led officers to suspect Graham’s involvement in previously reported arson fires. Graham confessed to the W. Hanover Street garage fire on May 5th, the garage fire on E. Hanover Street on May 7th, an attempted arson fire inside a shed on May 12th on Krug Avenue, both vehicle fires reported overnight in the 300 block of Baer Avenue and 200 block of Second Avenue. In addition, Graham also confessed to two Penn Township arson fires, one being a bag of trash he set on fire next to a garage on the morning of May 7th, and also an occupied residence in the first block of Grace Avenue on May 13th.
Graham was arraigned on charges of criminal attempted homicide, reckless endangerment, arson and related offenses. Graham’s bail was set at $250,000 and he was turned over to a constable for further disposition.