BAY MINETTE – A Baldwin County man is facing charges of starting three wildfires more than three months ago.

Investigators with the Alabama Forestry Commission arrested Anthony Thomas Boone, 44, of Little River, last Friday. He was charged with three counts of wildland arson (willfully setting fire to brush) and harassment by the Bay Minette Police Department. Boone is accused of starting three fires in the Little River community in November 2012. Little River is in extreme north end of Baldwin County. It is about 30 miles north of Bay Minette, and just 2 miles from the county line on State Highway 59.

According to AFC Chief Craig Hill, wildland arson is a problem in this state with approximately 31 percent of all wildfires being intentionally set. Conviction of this Class C Felony carries a penalty of 1-10 years imprisonment and/or up to a $15,000 fine on each count.

Boone is no stranger to area law enforcement. According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office website, Boone has a strings of arrests dating back to marijuana charges in December 1990. There were a pair of domestic violence charges in 2002 and 2008. He was arrested twice in November 2012 on separate cases involving marijuana and paraphernalia.

The Alabama Forestry Commission is committed to reducing the number of forestry-related crimes that occur each year across the state. These crimes generate losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to landowners, the timber industry, and Alabama’s economy. The AFC provides a Wildland Arson/Forest Crimes Hotline so that citizens can call and report wildland arson, theft of timber, and vandalism or theft of harvesting equipment. This toll-free number is (800) 222-2927. Any information provided is confidential and the caller remains anonymous.