Speeder “gets even” for traffic ticket

  Newberry County Sheriff's Deputy stops a 34-year-old driver, we'll call him Herkimer, for speeding. This is a rural road with a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour. Herkimer is driving 88.
  Not surprisingly, the deputy issues him a $450 speeding ticket. Herkimer is really upset by the citation. But that's only the beginning of this story.
  Herkimer hangs out around the sheriff's office until the deputy who wrote the ticket gets off duty. Then Herkimer follows the deputy home. Now that he knows where the cop lives, Herkimer starts cruising back and forth in front of the house.
  The deputy writes an additional report stating he warned Herkimer to stop his low-level harassment and should tell the traffic court judge about any objections he might have to receiving a citation.
  Later, according to investigator reports, Herkimer goes around telling friends and others about his $450 ticket, saying he'll "get even" with the deputy and with Newberry County for citing him for speeding.
  What kind of revenge does Herkimer have in mind? Well, according to sheriff's reports, an abandoned house in the nearby town of Silverstreet was torched several days later.
  The abandoned house had no power connected to it, which made the incident a "suspicious fire." Also, investigators learned that Herkimer was bragging to people that he had finally gotten even with the deputy and the county because they had to spend at least the amount of his $450 fine to send fire trucks and emergency personnel to the burning house.
  A warrant was issued and Herkimer was arrested. At a magistrate's hearing investigators testified that because of Herkimer's behavior toward the deputy and his demeanor after the speeding ticket was issued, he posed a danger to himself and possibly to others. Herkimer was ordered held in the county jail without bond until a trial is set.