TWO-YEAR-OLD STRING OF ARSONS IS RESOLVED

Over a period of a little more than two weeks in mid-1998, a series of 11 arson fires were reported in a Cape Girardeau neighborhood.

The fires were deliberately set in vehicles, outbuildings, trash bins and even a boat stored in an alley.

Last week, the Cape Girardeau Police Department said it has taken a juvenile into custody. Police say the youth is responsible for the longest string of illegal fires in memory.

Just like the senseless vandalism at Patrick's Cleaners earlier this month, the arson fires in 1998 defied common sense and baffled an entire neighborhood.

The police department deserves credit for sticking to its investigation of the fires. And anyone who provided information that helped the police in its pursuit of the arsonist also deserves special credit.

As usual, the solution to senseless crimes usually rests on citizens who are willing to step forward and tell police what they know.