Charges against Eastern Shore arson suspects Tonya Bundick and Charles Smith III were certified by an Accomack County General District Court Judge on Monday.
Virginia State Police have said that they believe Bundick and Smith are responsible for the majority of the nearly 80 arsons that terrorized Accomack County between November 2012 and April 2013.
Court documents show that Smith has confessed to investigators that he and Bundick set more than 70 of the fires during that time period.
The charges of arson and conspiracy to commit arson that were certified Monday were for just one fire: The last one that was set at a home on Airport Road in Melfa on the night of April 1st.
In court Monday, Virginia State Troopers Troy Johnson and WH Burke Jr. testified that they had been on a surveillance operation in a tent in the woods just 40-50 yards beyond the house.
Just before midnight, Johnson, wearing night-vision goggles, saw a minivan pull up to the house and a man get out and start running to the rear of the property.
Johnson testified that he saw the man stuff some sort of material into what appeared to be a rear door and then try to light it three to four times before it caught fire. The man then took off running towards Airport Drive where the minivan appeared and picked him up.
Burke testified that he radioed in their operations and an Accomack County Sheriff’s Deputy in the area closed in on the minivan as it approached a stop light. That deputy and a Virginia State Trooper in the area then initiated a traffic stop as the van made a left turn onto Route 13.
The driver, Tonya Bundick, and passenger, Charles Smith III, were then taken into custody without incident.
Accomack County Sheriff Todd Godwin testified in court that he heard the traffic stop over the radio and responded to the scene. There he saw Bundick sitting in a police cruiser and Smith in handcuffs.
Godwin testified that Smith looked him in the eyes and said “Todd, I’m sorry, but I didn’t light them all.”
In the early morning hours of April 2, both Bundick and Smith were interviewed by Virginia State Police.
In Bundick’s interview at the Exmore Police Department, Virginia State Police Special Agent Keenon Hook testified that Bundick denied her involvement in the fires.