Texas Volunteer Firefighter Charged With 20 Counts of Arson for Allegedly Starting Brush Fires

A volunteer firefighter in southwest Texas was arrested Friday for allegedly starting at least 20 brush fires in the area, officials said.

The Brewster County Sheriff's Office said David Matthew Neet, 44, was arrested Friday following a "lengthy investigation" into grass fires in the area that appeared to be serial arson. Neet is an Alpine Volunteer Firefighter and a crew member of 1st Response EMS in Odessa.

While investigating a series of wildland fires spanning from 2023 to 2024, the sheriff's office determined the cause of several fires to be suspicious, prompting assistance from Texas A&M Forest Service Law Enforcement investigators.

"Several" incendiary devices were found during the course of the investigation, the sheriff's office said.

Neet was arrested and charged with 20 counts of arson, a second-degree felony. Sheriff Ronny Dodson commended Deputy Hector Holguin for his "hard work and dedication to this investigation."

“We investigate wildland arson cases, and work to bring those responsible to justice,” Jarred Lemmon, Assistant Chief Law Enforcement Officer at Texas A&M Forest Service, said in a statement Wednesday. “The success of this case would not have been possible without the work of Brewster County Deputy Holquin.”

Texas A&M Forest Service said Neet was being held on a $300,000 bond at the Brewster County Detention Center. The investigation is ongoing.

—TMX contributed to this report.