Bryan Gibson, 24, was developed as a suspect in both intentionally set fires and taken into custody on the same afternoon. Gibson confessed to starting the two fires set during the early morning an hour apart. According to police, Gibson said he was “just trying to stay warm.”
Gibson is charged with two counts of felony arson along with several incidents of failure to appear and a probation violation. He is housed in the Butler County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be back in Hamilton Municipal Court today for a preliminary hearing.
Gibson was convicted of misdemeanor arson for an incident in Hamilton in August 2020 and placed on two years supervised community control, according to court records.
An alarm sounded at Marcum Park about 2:45 a.m. on March 31. When fire units arrived, they found a lot of smoke, according to Hamilton Fire Investigator Trevor Snider.
Fire was found in a plastic water runoff grate, and it scorched the walls of a garage and restroom area, he said. The melting plastic caused a lot of smoke.
The Hamilton police report estimates the damage at $2,000.
Clothing was set on fire at the parking garage at about 1:35 a.m. A police officer was able to put out the flames, and there was no damage to the building.
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