Arson Suspect Charged With 37 Felony Counts

A 24-year-old man suspected of setting dozens of fires across Los Angeles on New Year's weekend was charged Wednesday with 37 felony counts related to arson.

, a German national who lives in Hollywood, was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office with 28 counts of arson of property and nine counts of arson of an inhabited structure. His arraignment was planned for Wednesday afternoon in downtown L.A.

Burkhart was  on Sunset Boulevard near Fairfax Avenue. He remains in custody without bail in connection with the fires that were set beginning Dec. 30 at more than 50 locations that include in Hollywood, West Hollywood, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Burbank and Sunland.

The charges filed Wednesday relate to 12 fires that were set in Hollywood, West Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, District Attorney Steve Cooley said.

"The complaint also alleges that the arson was caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire," Cooley said. "If found true, the allegation could mean additional custody time for the defendant."

Cooley added that additional charges could still be filed.

"Our investigation of the 52 fires believed connected to this defendant is not over," he said. "Appropriate action will be taken as further evidence is presented for our review."

In many instances, fires that were started in carports raced to adjoining apartment buildings. The property damage resulting from the fires has been estimated at $3 million. One firefighter and a civilian suffered relatively minor injuries.

So far, the fires have stopped following Burkhart's arrest.

Investigators said an obscenity-laced outburst Burkhart let loose at an on Dec. 29 helped lead to his capture. When images of "a person of interest" emerged Sunday in connection with the arson fires, a law enforcement officer who had witnessed the outburst reportedly recognized Burkhart and gave local authorities his name, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The officer was an agent in the Los Angeles field office of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, officials told the Los Angeles Times.

Burkhart's mother, Dorothee Burkhart, appeared in federal court in downtown L.A. for a detention hearing Tuesday, but the proceeding was delayed until Friday to give her time to hire an attorney. She is wanted in Germany on 19 counts of fraud, including charges that she failed to pay a bill of about $10,000 for breast-augmentation surgery and bilked apartment renters out of security deposits.

A warrant for her arrest was issued by a judge in Frankfurt in 2007, according to federal court papers.

In court Tuesday, Dorothee Burkhart asked loudly for her son several times, repeating in heavily accented English, "Where is my son? What did you do to my son?"

At one point, the woman, who is in her early 50s, proclaimed something about "German Nazis" and said of her son, "he is mentally ill" and has "disappeared."

Dorothee Burkhart has also been linked to a website offering the services of a licensed massage therapist. The website is registered in her name with the Hollywood address where she was living with her son.

Harry Burkhart could also be facing charges in Germany. German authorities told the Times that Burkhart is suspected of setting fire to a home owned by his family on Oct. 14 in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis near Frankfurt. The vacant home was destroyed.

Burkhart flew to the United States on Oct. 20, the Times reported.

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.

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