by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Tyson Hodson, a 2014 Wellington High School graduate, has been sentenced to Sumner County jail after pleading guilty to arson, a level 7 felony.

Hodson, the son of Jerry and Jill Hodson of Atwood, Kans., will be spending 30 days in Sumner County Jail sometime this summer. He and his probation officer will need to decide whether Hodson will spend the lump sum of 30 days or during 15 weekends.

Tyson Hodson

Hodson pled guilty to setting approximately 56 large hay bales on fire on two separate occasions — about two miles southwest of the Wellington Municipal Airport on May 13, 2014.

The 18-year-old former Sumner County resident, who now lists his home in Atwood in northwest Kansas, is currently in college said Sumner County Attorney Kerwin Spencer. Upon the completion of the college semester, he and his probation officer will decide what course of action to take. Spencer said if he serves the full 30 days at once, it is likely he will be spending the final two weeks of May and the month of June in the county detention center. 

In a separate crime, Hodson also pled guilty to criminal damage of property, a Class B misdemeanor, which carries a 12 month suspended sentence, i.e. probation. On May 19, 2014 Hodson allegedly conspired with two other males by picking up rocks from Wheat Country Car Wash in Wellington and throwing them at various parked cars in the community.

Hodson also is accused of two counts of unlawful discharging of fireworks and arson, a level 7 felony, for which he was charged as a juvenile which occurred on Feb. 25, 2012. He is expecting sentencing from that case soon.

Spencer said in a Sumner County Court hearing he argued to the judge the following:

“Look, (Hodson) tragically knew what could happen while playing with fireworks. Because in that case Mr. (John) Larsen died fighting the fire in the juvenile case. Nobody is trying to say that was planned, but it was a tragic result from that case. But then he goes out and lights these hay bales on fire which he pled guilty to. And sometime later, he starts throwing rocks at cars. And if that damage wasn’t enough, he stopped to take a chunk of asphalt and throw it at Mr. (Charles) Watson’s car. So I just thought, judge, this case screams of seeing the inside of the jail. Please make sure he has to do the 30 days.”

John Larsen, II, 53, a farmer and stockman, died on Feb. 25, 2012.

Spencer said Hodson will be serving jail time because of the arson felony, but not the criminal damage misdemeanor. However, the misdemeanor will add to his probationary period – which was extended to 24 months.

He is also required to pay $1,936.17 in restitution for the damage to the vehicles and $1,680 in restitution for the lost hay bales.

Hodson moved from Wellington to Atwood last summer with his family, after Jerry Hodson gained employment at the Atwood School District as the school superintendent. He served as curriculum director at Wellington USD 353 for two years. He is a former Wellington Middle School principal. His wife, Jill Hodson, was a Washington Elementary Title One Teacher.

In the complaint docket for the arson felony, Hodson was accused of burning 44 bales before the fire was extinguished by the Wellington Fire Department on May 13.

Two days later — on May 15 — the complaint said Hodson allegedly set 12 large round hay bales on fire at the same field using a road flare.

According to the complaint affidavit, Wellington Fire inspector John Faust said the WFD on May 13 at about 2:30 p.m., was dispatched to the first fire and discovered 44 of the 100 bales in the field were on fire.

Rusk, the owner of the field, advised the WPD each hay bale was worth $50.  The remaining bales were moved and a fire break was created which protected the remaining 56 bales, the complaint said.

Faust said he found Coast Guard flares at the scene which he recognized as the kind sold at the Wellington Wal-Mart Super-Center.

These flares were shot from a single shot style flare pistol with the shells being reloaded then expelled, the report said. No flare gun was found at the scene.

The fire started with three or four bales which spread to the others, the report said.

The wind on May 13 was about 13.8 mph with the temperature of 65 degrees. Faust said in the report that he contacted an employee who worked at Wal-Mart Security, who advised the WPD that the last date of sale for a flare kit was April 28, 2014, but one was missing from inventory, and might have been stolen.

On May 14, Faust installed a trail camera at the scene in case the suspect(s) returned. At 4 p.m. on May 15, Faust checked the camera which was full and he went to download the files at the fire department building, the report said. Before he was able to return, another call came in for another fire in the Rusk field at the same location. This time 10 to 12 bales were on fire. Thirteen bales were consumed in this fire, leaving about 27 bales in the field. The wind was about 8.1 mph with a temperature of 63 degrees.

Rusk allegedly called the WPD after a WHS student told him he had heard Hodson and a 16-year-old Wellington male talking about setting the hay bales on fire. On May 20, Faust allegedly contacted Hodson and asked him to come to the fire department for an interview which was set for 2 p.m., but Hodson allegedly did not come to the interview.

On May 29, Faust interviewed the 16-year-old male with the mother present. The 16-year-old boy said he was involved in the second fire with Hodson and another male. In the report, the 16-year-old said Hodson had a road flare to set the bales on fire. In the first fire, Hodson allegedly used a signal flare.

The WPD interviewed two other boys allegedly involved in the two fires.

On June 3, Faust interviewed Hodson for an unrelated car vandalism incident. Hodson allegedly said during that interview he had gone to the hay bale field twice. Once with one boy and the second time with two different boys. Hodson allegedly said in the interview that during the first incident he allegedly shot flares, and on the second time he used road flares.

The estimated damage to the hay bales was $1,680 the report said.

In the Feb. 25, 2012 incident, Hodson is accused of setting a field on fire at 900 E. 60th St.

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