Filing Criminal Charges For Arson
Did you lose everything after your house caught fire while you were away on vacation? If you are suspicious that the fire was actually set intentionally, you might be able to file criminal charges against the person that is responsible. However, arson must be proven before you can take the incident to court. You will basically need a general idea of who may have started the fire, such as someone that has been threatening you in some way. Take a look at this article to learn how you should move forward with getting to the bottom of the bad situation.
1. Hire an Investigator to Make Sure a Crime Was Committed
Before you can file criminal charges against someone, you must make sure that your house fire was the result of arson being committed. Hiring a fire investigator is the best way to pinpoint the cause of the fire, even if your local fire department already ruled the incident as an accident. It is possible that an investigator will find concerns that were not found by the fire department. The investigator will actually be looking for signs of arsenic, whereas the fire department may have only looked at electrical problems. Once you have proof that arson is probable, you have enough to open a legal dispute.
2. Get Assistance from a Criminal Lawyer
Your next step should be to hire a criminal lawyer to help you get the justice that you need. A lawyer will be able to create a scenario that explains why someone set your house on fire. For instance, if you have been on bad terms with someone that you know, you must tell the lawyer about any threats that have been made against you. The threats don't necessarily have to be related to a fire. The lawyer will basically investigate all possible suspects in an effort to obtain information that can help your arson case.
3. Allow the Authorities to Search for the Suspect
After you have had a fire investigation performed on your house and hired a lawyer, you should contact the authorities with any information you have about the suspect. Even if you are not positive that the suspect is guilty, the authorities will be able to locate him or her for questioning. Being that detectives are experienced with spotting criminal behavior, they will be able to add to whatever the fire investigator and lawyer has found that will work in your favor during court.
Contact the Fire Science Investigations team to learn more about this topic.
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