LYNDEN, Wash.- Newly released court documents are shedding a brighter light on a massive fire that destroyed a business in Lynden last month.
Lynden Police said that owner Kerry Bolton reported the fire at Bolton Tire Pros around 11:30pm on July 16th.
Bolton told investigators that the fire began when he attempted to start up a generator, and he immediately left the building and called 911.
However, surveillance video from a nearby business showed Bolton walking around the business for ten minutes as the fire grew in intensity.
A search warrant of phone records later found that Bolton spoke with another subrenter in the building before calling police.
The subrenter told investigators that both men were being evicted from the building at the end of the month, and Bolton had “nowhere to go.”
The building’s property owner added that Bolton had missed five months of rent payment.
Bolton has a criminal record dating back to the 90’s, with past convictions including theft and domestic violence.