UMBC officer arrested in string of on-campus arsons

BALTIMORE -- A University of Maryland, Baltimore County police officer was arrested Tuesday on allegations that he set several on-campus fires in recent months while on duty, authorities said.

Officer Walter T. Christopher, 36, of Havre de Grace, was taken into custody on campus on an arrest warrant charging him with a list of offenses, including three felony counts of second-degree arson, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said.

Christopher's arrest comes one day after a Baltimore County grand jury handed down a 12-count indictment charging him with second-degree arson, malicious burning and malicious destruction of property, among other offenses.

The state fire marshal's office said the 36-year-old is suspected of setting four fires while in duty since December. Details about the incidents were not immediately available Tuesday afternoon.

The arrest was the product of a joint investigation by the fire marshal's office and University of Maryland, Baltimore County Police.

Christopher remains in custody at the Baltimore County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond. Court records show he is due in court Wednesday for a bail review hearing.