Whitefish Township firefighter arrested on arson charges

CHIPPEWA COUNTY — A volunteer firefighter in Whitefish Township was recently arrested and arraigned on arson charges.

According to a press release from the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office, Joseph Carl Halder, 35, was arrested during firefighting efforts at a structure fire on Nov. 11.

The fire took place in the early evening hours of Nov. 11 at a building in the business district of Paradise. The building was closed down, and used to be the home of Ruth’s Gift Shop. Whitefish Fire and EMS, Hulbert Fire, Bay Mills Fire, Cloverland Electric and the Michigan State Police all responded to the incident.

This was the third structure fire to take place in the area over the past few months.

During its investigation, the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office used surveillance video of the area to identify a suspect. After collecting all the evidence and interviewing the suspect, Halder was arrested for arson and transported to the Chippewa County Correctional Facility. According to the press release, the arrest was made while responding fire departments were still on the scene of the fire.

Halder has been a volunteer firefighter for the Whitefish Township Fire Department. He is also suspected of being involved in the two other fires that have taken place recently in the area.

On Monday, Halder was arraigned in the 91st District Court. He was charged with third degree arson. If found guilty, the maximum sentence is 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. He was given a $200,000 bond.

Halder's next appearance is at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 4 for his preliminary examination.

Until convicted in a trial, Halder is to be considered innocent until proven guilty.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Whitefish Township firefighter arrested on arson charges