A Northampton woman and a former junior firefighter have been charged with setting multiple barn fires in the area.

Pennsylvania State Police Troop M, Bethlehem, said Samantha Keeney, 24, of Northampton, was charged April 4 in connection with the barn fires at 3646 Cedar Drive and 786 Fir Drive in Lehigh Township and 4413 Cherryville Road, Allen Township.

Keeney has been charged with causing or risking catastrophe; arson and related offenses; agricultural vandalism; criminal mischief; criminal trespass; and recklessly endangering another person.

Justin Emmons, 19, of Northampton, faces the same charges as Keeney.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Trooper James Welsh:

On March 15, Lehigh Township Fire Chief Rick Hildebrand called the fire marshal about a blaze that broke out 1:26 a.m. at 3646 Cedar Drive in Lehigh Township.

Patrolman Craig Ball, of the Lehigh Township Police Department, interviewed Emmons, who said he and his friend, Keeney, were heading to the home of a friend of theirs, traveling on Route 946, and saw flames. Emmons said he turned on his scanner and heard there was a fire on Cedar Drive, adding he and Keeney then drove to the area.

On March 23, another fire was reported at 786 Fir Drive in Lehigh Township.

Video surveillance from a neighbor shows a vehicle traveling back and forth 13 times on Fir Drive before and after the fire was burning.

The victim’s son told police he left the residence and discovered the fire. He also saw a dark-colored SUV near the top of the driveway.

On March 24, Welsh was notified about a fire at 1352 Clearview Road, North Whitehall Township, another large barn near the roadside.

A freelance photographer there reported he passed a younger man and the two began talking.

During the conversation, the man mentioned he had been at the other two fires in Lehigh Township. The photographer thought the circumstances were odd and took a picture of the man.

On March 29, Welsh was contacted about a fire at 4413 Cherryville Road, Allen Township, another large barn near the roadside.

This particular fire was caught in the early stages by a passer-by, who reported it to 911, and was extinguished by another passer-by.

As a result of the early extinguishing, Welsh was able to collect several samples for testing from this scene.

During the course of the investigation, Enstrom said it became evident the fire was intentionally set.

It was discovered Emmons used to work/live with a person on Cedar Drive, but the resident does not own a barn. That resident, however, stores the crop and equipment at other barns, including 3646 Cedar Drive and 786 Fir Drive, the scenes of the two fires in Lehigh Township.

Emmons had been let go from work duties at the property about a week earlier.

He also had been dismissed from his duties with the Northampton Borough Fire Department about a year ago but still frequented the fire department.

Emmons does not possess a valid driver’s license and typically drives or rides with Keeney.

Emmons and Keeney are both known to utilize a black Hyundai Santa Fe, similar to the vehicle seen by the victim’s son of the fire at 786 Fir Drive and the vehicle in the Fir Drive neighbor’s surveillance video.

A body camera from the Cedar Drive scene showed the clothes Emmons was wearing March 15 were similar to the clothing on the individual photographed March 24 at the fire on Cherryville Road.

On March 27, Welsh contacted Emmons by phone and requested he come to the Bethlehem barracks for an interview. Emmons agreed but did not show up for the interview.

Keeney failed to show up for work at Lehigh Valley International Airport March 28 and 29.

Contact was made with airport security and photos of Keeney’s vehicle were obtained. The vehicle matched the description of the one seen at 786 Fir Drive and on the surveillance footage.

On March 29, Enstrom received information from Lehigh Township Police Chief Scott Fogel and township Manager Alice Rehrig of an extinguished fire on Quince Road by Timberline Road in the township.

Evidence at the scene of the brush fire included several survival-type matches later identified as the same “stormproof” matches used by Emmons and Keeney to light fires.

On April 1, Emmons said both he and Keeney were involved in the fires at 786 Fir Drive and 1352 Clearview Road, as well as a vehicle fire currently being investigated by the Northampton Borough Police Department.

Emmons said although he was with Keeney at the time of the fires, Keeney was the one responsible for the act of actually lighting the fires.

Keeney told police she and Emmons “collectively” had the ideas to burn down the barns.

Keeney said she was responsible for lighting the fire at 786 Fir Drive.

She said no accelerants were used to ignite the fires, adding, instead, they used “stormproof” matches, which were purchased at Walmart in Whitehall.

Police searched Keeney’s vehicle and located a “stormproof” match in the driver-side door panel. In the glove box of the car, they found an opened box of “stormproof” matches.

Police also located a pair of camouflage coveralls in the vehicle, allegedly the same ones worn by Emmons in the freelancer’s photograph.

Keeney is currently incarcerated in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing April 17 before Magisterial District Judge Robert A. Hawke, of Walnutport.

State police said Emmons was taken into custody April 5 on a traffic stop by Pennridge Regional Police Department. At press time, he was awaiting extradition to Northampton County.