FREDERICK, Md. — Police have arrested a man in connection to an apartment fire that left a dog dead last year.
According to the Frederick Police Department (FPD), the fire was reported on Waverley Drive in Frederick City on Aug. 24, 2022.
No one was home at the time of the fire, however, a dog inside an apartment died from smoke inhalation.
Investigators believe the fire was started with an accelerant and ruled the cause to be arson.
Police have since arrested 24-year-old Darryl Deshun Cooper in connection to the fire. Officers claim Cooper lived in the apartment at the time, but had been asked to leave before the fire broke out due to conflicts with other renters.
On March 15, Cooper was arrested by detectives with the FPD Major Crimes Unit. He faces charges of first-degree arson, aggravated cruelty to animals, animal cruelty and four counts of reckless endangerment.
The dog is suspected to have belonged to one of Cooper's roommates.
Former Laurel Police Chief David Crawford was convicted Thursday of attempted murder, arson and other charges linked to an 11-year series of arsons.