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McEuen arson suspect arrested

| July 9, 2015 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - Police arrested an 18-year-old Spokane man for allegedly starting two trash can fires near McEuen Park early Wednesday morning.

Coeur d'Alene Police reported that early Wednesday around 12:20 a.m., officers responded to a report of a suspicious fire at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library. A witness reported a burning Dumpster.

The fire scorched the green metal Dumpster and melted a large blue upright recycle bin. As officers were finishing up their investigation, additional officers located another trash can on fire at the base of Tubbs Hill on the Third Street side.

They observed a male in the 400 block of East Front Avenue walking at a hurried pace from the park across the parking lot, directly away from where other officers were trying to extinguish the second trash fire. Officers detained the male who was later identified as Alec T. Malinak, 18, of Spokane.

Malinak made several statements and changed his story as to why he was in the park, police reports said. He then admitted to police he was in both locations when the fires were lit.

Officers searched Malinak and discovered a very large butterfly knife on his person. The knife was about 7-8 inches closed and more than 12 inches long when open. Malinak also had ash on his shirt and soot on his hands.

Due to Malinak's statements to police and his suspicious activity in the area, he was arrested as a principal to two counts of third-degree arson and possession of a concealed weapon.