SPANISH FORT – The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office has changed a Mobile man with arson in connection with two fires set in the Malbis community on Friday, Dec. 18.
Phillip Mack, 33, was being held without bond in the Baldwin County Corrections Center on Friday on charges of first-degree arson and second-degree arson, according to jail records.
The arrest came after a house fire was reported in Malbis on Thursday, according to Sheriff’s Office reports. Deputies determined that the fire was set on purpose, damaging a home and vehicle at the site.
While the investigation was going on, the Sheriff’s Office received another report of a vehicle fire at the freestanding emergency room the freestanding Emergency Room in Malbis. That vehicle sustained major damage.
After that call, Fairhope police received a report that three vehicles were set on fire in that jurisdiction. Investigators determined the fires were related, the report said.
One of the vehicles damaged in Fairhope was a city-owned car assigned to Police Chief Stephanie Hollinghead, according to Fairhope Lt Shane Nolte. Nolte said the incident is under investigation and no other information was available for release.
Mack was identified as a suspect and reports were sent out to area law enforcement agencies. Early Thursday morning, Daphne police saw Mack and attempted to stop his vehicle. The suspect fled, but was caught and arrested in Mobile after a chase.
Mack was charged with first-degree arson in connection with the residence fire and second-degree arson in connection with the vehicle fire at the emergency room, the report said. A person convicted of first-degree arson can be sentenced to 10 years to life in prison, according to the Alabama Criminal Code. Second-degree arson carries a sentence of two to 20 years in prison upon conviction.
Charges may also be filed by Loxley, Fairhope and Daphne authorities, the report said. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office at 251-937-0202.
