Texas authorities announced they are prepared to offer a $50,000 reward for any piece of information leading to the capture of the arsonist who set the Texas Governor's Mansion on fire this month.
The initial police report indicated that the blaze wasn’t politically motivated, but State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado changed the course on Monday and announced the reward. He said at a news conference Monday that the arsonist may have been driven by “feelings of anger” in his unlawful activity.
"He may be known to get angry and express strong opinions about the government, Governor Perry himself, the death penalty, the renovation of the mansion or other political issues," Maldonado added.
The Fire Marshal did not elaborate on what may have caused the investigators to believe that the blaze was politically motivated. Maldonado made an appeal to the arsonist to help investigators solve the case quickly.
"We do feel you had a message and we would like to hear from you…please contact us," he said during the news conference Monday outside the charred remains of the historic building.
Maldonado said police have a footage taken from a security camera at 1:45 a.m. June 8 which shows a person lighting an object and heaving it toward the mansion’s front door. The footage wasn’t shared with the press.
The police description of the suspected arsonist is: white male, between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet 1 inch, wearing a dark shirt, work gloves and blue jeans or cargo pants.
Gov. Rick Perry has been living in a rental house since the restoration project began.
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