Shane Allen Knowlton, 21, was arrested Wednesday by the Howard County Sheriff’s Office on charges of arson, evading arrest/detention and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Cassandra Kathleen Villa, 18, and Quinten Lee Little, 19, were arrested Thursday and also charged with arson and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

According to HCSO Chief Deputy Mark Hall, the trio are accused of stealing a brown Chevrolet Z71 pickup from a residence on S. Highway 87.

“We received a report of a vehicle fire on Gail Highway the morning of March 11,” said Hall. “We responded, along with the fire department. Shortly after the fire was reported, the owner of the vehicle reported it missing.

“We investigated the incident for possible insurance fraud, but found nothing to indicate that’s what had happened. The truck was a total loss, but it wasn’t completely destroyed and we were able to recover evidence from the wreckage.”

Hall said the evidence recovered led officers to Knowlton, Villa and Little.

“We tried to contact Mr. Knowlton several times but were unsuccessful,” said Hall. “Wednesday we located him at a residence in Howard County. When the deputy approached him, he ran, which is why he is also charged with evading arrest.”

Hall — who declined to comment on the motivation behind the theft of the vehicle and subsequent fire — said the remaining two suspects were taken into custody without incident.

“The case is still under investigation,” said Hall. “That’s all I can tell you for now.”

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it