Court orders resident to stand trial for arson

State College resident David Beer, 39, was ordered to stand trial Friday by District Justice Allen Sinclair on charges of arson, recklessly endangering another person and criminal mischief, according to the court administrator's office.

The charges stem from a series of fires in the State College area between April and September 1998.

The fires include 22 dumpster and recycling bin fires, one building fire, one vehicle fire and one debris fire. Three of the dumpster fires threatened occupied buildings.

Beer was arrested last month and charged with five counts of arson and recklessly endangering another person, which are both felonies. He was also charged with 20 counts of criminal mischief and recklessly endangering another person, which are both misdemeanors.

The arrest came after a six-month investigation of the fires and the formation of a task force to identify the culprit.

Beer became a suspect in June after police saw him hiding near a dumpster previously set on fire behind the Ramada Inn, 1450 S. Atherton St.

Police continued the investigation by using a tracking device on one of Beer's vehicles.

The device later confirmed Beer's location at the scene of an intentionally lit fire in September.

-- by Kelly Bradish