Press release
Around 11:16 a.m. Friday, March 30, two structure fires were reported on CR 2502 in the Payne Springs VFD coverage area. Six fire departments responded to find both structures fully involved. The Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office was called to the scene due to the suspicious nature of the fires.
Henderson County Fire Marshal Shane Renberg and Assistant Fire Marshal Sherry Powers investigated both mobile home fires and determined the fires to be arson. On April 11, one of the arson suspects was identified and a warrant was issued for her arrest. On that same day Fire Marshal Renberg arrested Brenda Sue Ivey at a residence in the Indian Harbor Subdivision for Arson of a Habitation (1st degree felony).
On April 12, a second suspect for the arson fires was identified and a warrant was issued for her arrest. On April 17, Joyce Veach Cates was arrested on the warrant and is currently in a Dallas County Jail for the charge of Arson of a Habitation (1st degree felony).
These individuals committed a serious crime in Henderson County and the cooperation between the fire departments and the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office make these arrest possible. The fire departments received training on how to extinguish these fires while preserving evidence for investigators and continue to do a great job.
“We at the Fire Marshal’s Office are very proud of our team and the fire departments who respond to these situations,” said Renberg.