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Capitol Police Officer Charged With Setting Senate Fire

December 05, 2007 7:23 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf, Jason Ryan and Jennifer Parker Report: The U.S. Capitol Police Officer who was recently suspended in connection with a series of mysterious fires in Senate office buildings was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Karen E. Emory, 36, of Waldorf, Maryland, was charged with a misdemeanor for "an incident that occurred on November 2, 2007, in which toilet paper was set on fire inside a ladies’ restroom located in the Dirksen Senate Office Building," according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

If convicted, Emory could face up to one year in jail.

For months, Capitol Police have been investigating who is responsible for a series of small fires suspiciously set inside women's restrooms on Capitol Hill.

About seven fires were set from late September to November in Senate staff buildings adjacent to the U.S. Capitol.

Emory was suspended from her job as a Capitol Police officer in late November in connection with the investigation, according to Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider.

However she's still getting a paycheck from the U.S. Capitol Police.

"For us she remains a Capitol Police officer," Schneider said. "We have to let the charges proceed."

The bathroom fires caused no damage, but led to fire alarms and evacuations on Capitol Hill in October and November.

The investigation is ongoing into who is responsible for the other fires, Schneider said.

December 5, 2007 in Romney, Mitt | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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