Man wanted in fire case arrested
A man wanted for allegedly breaking into a Butler house and stealing a safe last year and then paying another man to burn down the home was arrested Wednesday.
State police in Kittanning picked up 50-year-old William L. Gold, who was doing handyman work in Armstrong County, authorities said.
Troopers were initially looking for Gold on an unrelated matter when they found him about 2 p.m. It wasn't until they ran his information that they learned of the arrest warrant in Butler County.
State police earlier Wednesday obtained the warrant for Gold and his alleged accomplice, Robert J. Wilhelm, 39, of Washington Township.
Investigators allege Gold paid Wilhelm $1,000 to burn down the two-story house at 111 South St. on May 29, 2017.
The day before, the two men purportedly broke into the rental home and stole a safe — believed to contain money — that belonged to the tenants, a pair of suspected Philadelphia drug dealers.
The fire, police say, was intentionally set to cover up the burglary.
The home was vacant at the time of the fire because both tenants were in the Butler County Prison, having been arrested a few days earlier on drug charges. No one was injured.
Gold was unaware that there was a warrant for his arrest when police picked him up, Trooper Luke Nelson, a deputy fire marshal and lead investigator, said Thursday.
Nelson said Gold spoke to police following his arrest but would not say what he told investigators.
Gold was arraigned on charges of arson, burglary, conspiracy, risking a catastrophe, criminal solicitation and criminal mischief, all felonies.
He was booked into the county jail about 6:15 p.m. and, following arraignment, released three hours later on $40,000 unsecured bail.
Unsecured bail means that a defendant is released on the promise that he will pay the bail amount if he fails to appear for court.
Wilhelm faces similar charges as Gold with the exception of criminal solicitation.
Nelson said Wilhelm is “cooperating” in the investigation and police plan to arraign him in “the near future.”
In a Dec. 14 police interview, Wilhelm admitted to his involvement and implicated Gold, according to court documents. He also claimed that another man, who he did not know, helped steal the safe.
Police subsequently recovered the remains of the empty safe, which appeared to have been cut open with a torch, near the Thorn Run Reservoir in Oakland Township.
Nelson declined to comment about any other suspects, saying only that the investigation is continuing.
