A Salina man was arrested on suspicion of arson and theft after an early Friday morning car fire in the Walmart parking lot.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning that a Walmart employee arriving for work at 7:25 a.m. Friday observed a black male getting into and out of a blue 2007 Honda Accord. Shortly after the male walked away from the car, the employee saw flames coming from inside the car, he said.
According to Forrester, the Salina Fire Department determined that an accelerant was used to start the fire in the front seat of the car. Surveillance video showed the black male walking out of Walmart with the accelerant without paying for it and then walking to the car, he said.
At 8 p.m Friday, officers were sent to the Salina Rescue Mission, 1716 Summers Road, where a person fitting the description of the subject in the car fire case was seen, Forrester said. Delanio Adams, 35, of Salina, was arrested on suspicion of arson and theft, Forrester said.
Although Adams claimed the Accord was his, Forrester said it was registered to Poitr Zdanevich, 35, of Minnesota, and had not been reported stolen. The car was valued at $10,000, he added.