9-year-old student identified as suspect in Westwood school fire - VIDEO

A 9-year-old student has been identified as the person responsible for starting a fire that forced Westwood Elementary School to evacuate last week, according to the St. Cloud Police Department.

Due to the age of the suspect, investigators say that it complicates legal action as children under 10 cannot be prosecuted for criminal offenses in juvenile court, News.Az reports, citing kstp.com.

Police previously determined that the fire was an act of arson, and the case has now been forwarded to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office to review alternative courses of action for the student.

The incident on March 31 forced school staff and emergency crews to evacuate all students to a nearby church while crews worked to put out the fire.

After an investigation, police determined that the fire had been intentionally set inside a bathroom.

Last week, the district said that the school building will remain closed for nearly two weeks for deep cleaning and air quality restoration, which will be done by 90-100 professional cleaning staff the district hired.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova