Man Charged With Multiple Arsons At Farm Shared With 96-Year-Old Mother

WARWICK, MD — A Cecil County man is charged with arson for a series of fires set on a farm he shares with his 96-year-old mother, the Maryland state fire marshal said.

Wallace Pleasanton, 67, of Warwick was arrested by deputy state fire marshals early Friday morning, according to a news release.

On April 10, Cecilton Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding fire departments responded about 4 a.m. to the 1100 block of Middleneck Road in Warwick for a shed fire that had spread to other sheds, a chicken coop, and a pickup truck. Firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to the home and a nearby garage.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal was asked to investigate, and a team of deputy state fire marshals responded to the scene.

Investigators identified Pleasanton as the person responsible for setting the fire, which began in a shed, the state fire marshal's office said in its news release. Evidence of multiple prior fires that had been set and either extinguished or allowed to burn out was found on the property,

With help from the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasanton was taken into custody at the scene. He has been charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, and malicious destruction of property over $1,000, authorities said.

This incident follows a separate case from January 2026, where Pleasanton was charged after investigators determined he had intentionally set fire to his mother’s John Deere utility vehicle inside a garage at the same address.

“We recognize the impact incidents like this have on families, especially when they occur at a home,” said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray in a news release. “We hope today’s arrest brings some sense of relief and allows the family, particularly his mother, to begin to feel at peace.”

Pleasanton is being held at the Cecil County Detention Center without bond.