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Sheriff: Accused Eco-Terrorist Kills Himself In Jail
Affidavit: Rodgers Attended Meeting To Plan Vail Arson
POSTED: 4:52 pm MST December 22, 2005
UPDATED: 5:38 pm MST December 22, 2005
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- An Arizona bookstore owner charged with ecosabotage in Washington state and suspected of arson in Colorado was found dead in a Flagstaff, Ariz., jail cell Thursday. The Coconio County Sheriff's Office said that William Rodgers, 40, of Prescott, committed suicide. The county medical examiner determined that Rodgers suffocated after placing a plastic bag over his head while he was being held in a one-person cell. Rodgers was one of six people arrested this month in connection with eco-terrorist attacks in Oregon and Washington State in recent years. He was charged in the firebombing of a government wildlife lab in Washington state.
In an affidavit filed in federal court last week, an FBI agent said Rodgers attended a meeting of Earth Liberation Front members in western Colorado where the arson of the Vail Ski Resort was planned.Rodgers and Chelsea Gerlach, 28, of Portland, Ore., were the first people to be named as suspects in the 1998 Vail Mountain fires, which did $12 million in damage. No indictments have been returned in that case.
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Previous Stories:
- December 17, 2005: Arizona Man Named Suspect In 1998 Vail Arson
- December 16, 2005: Family Denies Vail Fire Suspect Ever Traveled To Colorado
- December 14, 2005: Prime Suspect Named in $12 Million Vail Mountain Fires
Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
