News 12 at 6 o'clock; August 29, 2008

AIKEN CTY, S.C.---A volunteer firefighter from New Ellenton has been arrested for setting fires.

Brandon Smith, 19, faces arson and other charges.

The charges come after a magistrate court fire in New Ellenton, some house fires, and a woods fire.

Deputies say Smith responded to some of the fires after they were set.

He'd been in training with the Aiken Fire Department, but was released from that job yesterday.

This isn't the first time Brandon was in trouble and under investigation. The Fire Chief in New Ellenton Mike Kellems says Brandon is a good kid, but just a few months ago, he was suspended after a brush fire and now, he's in a lot more trouble.

The former volunteer firefighter is upsetting some people, because it's costing taxpayers -- like Rebecca Coleman -- money.

"We pay enough taxes. They go to so many other things that going to something like that. I think, it's really ridiculous," says Coleman.

Brandon Smith, a former firefighter in New Ellenton, is charged in an arson at the New Ellenton Magistrate Office in July. That fire, destroyed some records.

"It is really aggravating," exclaims Chief Magistrate Judge Rodger Edmonds.

It also caused a lot of headaches for him.

"They're just going to have to bulldoze the building down," says Judge Edmonds.

"You're going to set a fire for somebody just for the heck of it or for the fun of it. I think it's awful," says Coleman.

That's not the only fire this former firefighter is accused of setting. There was a house fire on Gray Mare Hollow Road that was under renovation. There was another fire at a home being renovated on Chukker Creek Road and another at an abandoned home on Fairlane Street in New Ellenton. News 12 tried to talk with Smith, but he wasn't home.

"Some of these guys just love the excitement of driving a fire truck and running the sirens," says Judge Edmonds.

The Fire Chief in New Ellenton agrees, but this isn't Smith's first time under investigation.

A few months ago, he tells News 12 Smith was suspended after a brush fire, but he was cleared and came back to work.

"I don't understand how a person's mind works when they do things like this. It's strange, very strange," says Judge Edmonds.

"That's not even childish. That's just plain old stupidity," says Coleman.

Smith is also facing three burglary charges and a malicious injury to property charge from a woods fire back in May of this year. He was also in training with the City of Aiken, as a cadet, to train as a firefighter. He was fired from that job yesterday. Judge Edmonds says on the arson counts alone, he could be facing no less than 5 to 25 years in prison, for each charge.

Right now, there are no set plans for the Magistrate Office and the County Administrator says the office is vacant because of Judge Patrick Sullivan's suspension. No official word on just what he is being investigated for.

Smith was arrested during a traffic stop last night. He was taken to the Aiken County Detention Center. He is still there, awaiting a bond hearing on Saturday. News 12 will continue to follow this investigation as it develops.