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Anthony Scott Meinhardt, a borough resident, is charged with two counts of arson and one count each of criminal mischief and theft from a vehicle.
Police said the investigation had gone dry until June, when a new lead caused police to focus on Meinhardt.
According to a news release issued Tuesday by Elizabethtown police, on Aug. 15, 2006, officers were dispatched to a vehicle fire on the Elizabethtown College campus.
Police said the blaze was the start of a string of events that night throughout the borough, including seven more vehicle fires. Another three vehicles were entered and taken out of gear so they would drift downhill, police said.
Following those incidents, which occurred near the college campus, Meinhardt walked several blocks to a community park on Poplar Street and set ablaze four trash cans adjacent to a little league concession stand, causing minor damage, police said. A window also was broken at Elizabethtown Community Center.
Finally, police allege, Meinhardt poured motor oil onto a Kawasaki motorcycle and into the fuel tank of a vehicle. He also poured oil on the porch of a home on West High Street before walking to his home, police said.
About a month later, on Sept. 10, fire crews responded to a vehicle fire in the first block of South Poplar Street, police said. A pickup truck was destroyed, and a recreational vehicle and another vehicle parked close to the truck sustained substantial heat damage, police said.
Elizabethtown police Chief Jack Mentzer said one count of arson was filed against Meinhardt for each date on which the incidents occurred.
Police said no additional arrests are expected, and they said there is no indication anyone else was involved.
An arrest in the three-year-old case was important to investigators and the community, he said.
"This is something that has impacted many of our residents," Mentzer said. "People have been frustrated, and I don't blame them. I mean, we're talking about thousands of dollars worth of damage. But the fact is, the leads just dried up. It feels good to have a resolution."
Mentzer praised the work of the county drug task force, which assisted in the investigation. "I really can't say enough about the cooperation with which our department and their office carried out this investigation," he said Wednesday.
Meinhardt was arrested Oct. 2 and arraigned Oct. 23 before District Judge Jayne Duncan. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail for the August charges and $10,000 unsecured bail for the September charge, police said.
