Insurance company alleges owners set fire to Shooting Center

March 27--A federal lawsuit filed Friday by a Pennsylvania insurance company claims that a fire that extensively damaged the Springfield Shooting Center last year was intentionally set by owners John and Kathryn Jackson, or their representatives.

In laying out its argument as to why the Tokio Marine Specialty Insurance Company did not have to cover the Jacksons' $1.625 million insurance claim, it alleged the Sept. 6 blaze was "incendiary and/or arson" and not necessarily the result of a burglar covering his or her tracks, as initially suspected.

Private fire investigators hired by the insurance company found that the fire, at 4885 Industrial Drive, started after four separate areas had gasoline and an open flame intentionally applied to them, which was the same finding by the Springfield Fire Department, the lawsuit stated.

At about 12:56 a.m. the day of the fire, a video from a nearby building's surveillance camera showed a person walking into the shooting center's unlocked front door "without delay" and leaving eight minutes later, the company claimed in the lawsuit. The individual was not carrying firearms, computers or personal property belonging to Shooting Center upon entering or exiting the building, according to the company.

"Significant smoke" marking the beginning of the fire was captured on video at 1:04 a.m. Firefighters arrived at the shooting center at about 1:20 a.m. to put out the fire.

The lawsuit says the same surveillance camera also showed John Jackson moving personal property and cash from the center the night of the fire, and says he was the last person to leave the center on the night of the fire. The lawsuit stated that gasoline, kerosene, a propane cylinder, charcoal lighter fluid and other solvents were stored on the premises in the days before the fire.

Scott Levin, the Jacksons' attorney, said that neither he, nor his clients, have been able to view the video, so they didn't know which angle it was taken from and therefore could not comment on its substance.

"We've never disputed it was likely arson but we -- the clients -- were not the ones that committed arson," Levin said in an interview. He said the Jacksons did not wish to comment.

Fire Marshal Chris Richmond said Monday that the investigation into the "fire portion" of the case was closed. "We determined the fire was incendiary," Richmond said. "... It was clear it was an intentionally set fire."

Richmond said the Springfield Police Department opened a criminal investigation into the matter but would not comment further. A request for comment from the Springfield Police Department was not returned by press time.

Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser declined to comment Monday on the criminal investigation.

The company claims the Jacksons had $1.1 million in outstanding debt and were under financial strain prior to the fire. According to testimony the Jacksons provided the insurance company under oath, they both said the center hadn't made a significant profit in the almost two years they had owned it. They changed the center's insurance over to Tokio the month before the fire happened.

Levin said the debt mentioned in the lawsuit was the mortgage on the shooting center.

In sworn depositions, both of the Jacksons speculated on who could have started the fire and listed their "enemies." They included the man who held their mortgage, an employee and John Jackson's ex-business partner, who he testified to having not spoken to in the two years preceding the fire.

"They say revenge is best served cold," John Jackson said, when asked why his ex-partner would set the shooting center on fire.

The missing weapons were established after John Jackson turned over logbooks of the firearm purchases to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), who compared the books to his inventory, according to John Jackson's testimony. Jackson said a lot of the paperwork was destroyed during the fire and said he knew the guns were missing because the cases they were in were broken.

Representatives from the ATF could not be reached Monday.

A call to the insurance company's attorney was not returned.

Contact Crystal Thomas: 788-1528, [email protected], twitter.com/crystalclear224.

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