HOLDEN, MO. (KCTV) – A 19-year-old has been charged in connection with a fire that destroyed a 15-acre hay field near Holden and barely saved nearby homes and businesses.

Documents submitted to the institution Johnson County, Missouri, Circuit Court It states that 19-year-old Hunter A. Hilker of Holden has been charged in connection with a 15-acre fire on Tuesday, Oct. 29. He is charged with knowingly burning or detonating and armed criminal action.

Holden Police Department on Monday, Oct. 28, when law enforcement responded to E. 14th and S. Main St. He said that while they were patrolling the area, they saw Hilker coming out of the hay field.

Law enforcement officials said they saw Hilker start a fire near the end of the field before running south behind homes near S. Vine and 14th St. They lost sight of Hilker, but spotted him again seconds later as he ran down the middle of the road. path.

Investigators noted that Hilker was arrested and taken into custody. Meanwhile, while the surrounding houses were evacuated, first responders tried to control the fire. Approximately 15 areas and a group of trees in the field were destroyed in the fire. Houses and workplaces in the north barely escaped the fire. As a result, no injuries were reported.

As of Thursday, Oct. 31, Hilker remains behind Johnson County bars with no bond listed. The status hearing is set for Wednesday, November 6, at 1:30 p.m. No further information was disclosed.

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