Found on 8/01/04

Bryan Dawsey, 33, of Pearlington, was apprehended on July 14 by the United States Coast Guard in connection with the arson of the Cuevas Grocery and attempted arson of the owner’s home, according to Sheriff Stave Garber.

"Following the completion of extradition, Bryan Dawsey was returned to Hancock County on Tuesday, July 27. He returned to Hancock County by air accompanied by Investigator Matt Barnett and Deputy David Johnson," Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said.

"Bryan Dawsey is the third family member to be arrested in connection with the two fires. His father Malon Jack "Buddy" Dawsey was arrested on February 27; while another son, Barry Edward Dawsey was apprehended later by the Federal Bureau of Investigation near Baton Rouge and is in their custody.

In Hancock County, (Barry Dawsey) faces one charge of commercial arson and one charge of residential arson in addition to federal charges," Investigator Tom Roan, who is leading the investigation said Wednesday.

"Bryan Dawsey was arrested on a Hancock County warrant by the U.S. Coast Guard while on the ocean-going barge "Nakoa" off the coast of Portland, Oregon, and then turned over to Portland’s investigators at the dock."

Bryan Dawsey is being held in the Harrison County Jail on two charges of arson, one count of arson of a business and one count of arson of a dwelling, with no bond set at this time, Roan reported.

Also in connection with the fires, Kerri Menard, 23 and Jeremy Stogner, 29, both of Pearl River LA, were arrested in early July and are lodged n the Hancock County Criminal Justice Facility. Menard’s bond was set at $200,000 while Stogner’s was $300,000. Both are charged with one count of commercial arson and one count of residential arson.

A warrant has also been issued for Henry Brandow, 34, of Louisiana, in connection with the two fires, Hurt said.

Cuevas’ Grocery was torched on the night of December 4, and was a total loss. Ronnie Cuevas – the store’s owner and Hancock County Sheriff’s Department’s Chief Administrator – and his wife were asleep around 11 p.m. on the night of December 29 when they heard what they thought was someone on their roof.

In an earlier report Cuevas said, "Upon investigating the noise, I heard someone running from the roof, jumping to the ground, and running through the dark woods toward Highway 604, and then heard a vehicle squealing away."

The Cuevas’ residence is also a short distance from where their store was located on Highway 604 in Pearlington.

Cuevas reported, "I fired three shots in the dark at the fleeing suspect, then I discovered a fire on the roof. I grabbed a ladder and a hose and quelled the fire before it fully ignited the can of gasoline, which I am sure would have destroyed my home."

Since the Cuevas store fire, an investigation by a special task force set up by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation – including officers from the Highway Patrol, the Mississippi Agriculture Investigation Unity, ATF, the Hancock County Sheriff’s office, state and county fire marshals – have been working on the case. The FBI is also investigating the case.

In February, Garber said he felt the arson of the business and attempted arson of the Cuevas’ residence and subsequent theft of Chief Investigator Hurt’s sheriff’s office’s vehicle was "revenge" for an investigation.

The cases of the two arson "chop shops" and theft of the sheriff officer’s vehicle continue to be investigated, Garber said.

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