We got a note from a neighbor on the Madrona block where a house was set fire following a burglary, asking if we could confirm rumors that the suspect in that arson had been arrested over the weekend.

Members of a neighborhood email list described the arrest made on 26th Avenue between PIne and Howell on Friday night:

My neighbors across the street saw a man with a shaved head prowling around my house around 7:00 last night. He was throwing a ball and went into my back yard. He was apparently on our front porch as well. He was also seen climbing the side of a neighbor’s house two doors down.

The police said the guy was in custody because he fit the description of the arsonist. They said they saw hime walk around our entire house before they arrested him. My neighbor told me he was African American and young with a shaved head. I did not press him for further details. The police checked the perimeter of our house for combustible materials. There were alot of police. No materials were found at our house but I do not know about the other houses he visited.

Although we couldn’t reach Seattle Police spokespersons in multiple attempts yesterday, our friend Jonah at SeattleCrime.com did speak to them and was told that the Madrona arsonist is NOT in custody. The suspect arrested on Friday night was NOT the right guy.

Here’s the sketch of the suspect released last week. If you know or see this man, call 911 immediately: