DAVID WILLIAMS; UPDATE; DOG SMELLED ACCELERANT; LAB TESTS NEGATIVE; DEFENCE LAWYER CITES "RUSH TO JUDGMENT". 37 DAYS BEHIND BARS AS ALLEGED ARSONIST;

"ON FRIDAY, WILLIAMS READ A PREPARED STATEMENT AND DID NOT ANSWER REPORTER’S QUESTIONS. HOSMER SAYS IT’S UNCLEAR IF WILLIAMS WILL FILE A LAWSUIT. "DAVID WAS NOT ALLOWED TO GO TO THE FUNERAL OF THESE THREE CHILDREN,” HOSMER SAID. “DAVID WAS A FATHER FIGURE. THERE IS A LOT HE MISSED OUT ON AS A RESULT OF THE CHARGES BEING FILED AGAINST HIM," HOSMER SAID.

IT’S ALSO UNCLEAR IF ANY CHARGES WILL BE RE-FILED. POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE ITSELF. "POLICE AND FIRE EXAMINERS ARE STILL INVESTIGATING WE MAY ACHIEVE JUSTICE FOR THOSE CHILDREN," PATTERSON SAID.

FIRE INVESTIGATORS SAID A FIRE DOG FOUND AN ACCELERANT ON WILLIAMS’ JEANS. A LAB TEST DID NOT FIND THE SAME RESULTS. POLICE AND PROSECUTORS ARE NOT DISCUSSING THE NEXT STEP IN THE INVESTIGATION. THEY WILL ONLY SAY IT IS ONGOING."

REPORTER EMILY RITTMAN: KSPR NEWS.

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BACKGROUND; David Williams is charged with arson for the fire that killed his fiancée’s three children and injured their maternal grandfather on March 15. Now lab results on samples from the crime scene contradict evidence cited by investigators. Where a trained dog smelled a fire accelerant, testing did not. In the probable cause statement used as the basis of the arson charge, a fire marshal said the dog alerted to an accelerant in three different spots at the fire scene: the front porch, the front door and the living room. The dog also alerted to a spot on a pant leg of jeans that Williams said he put on after he was awoken as the fire was burning. "I was told that laboratory tests on the jeans and samples from the floor of the home did not detect any accelerant. Still, we trust the observations of an accelerant identified by fire marshals and trained dogs,” Greene County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said on Tuesday. "Their testing is invalidated,” said Williams’ defense attorney, Andy Hosmer. Hosmer says dogs cannot be trusted alone.

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"A man once charged with intentionally setting a fire that killed his fiancé’s kids speaks out for the first time. David Williams no longer faces an arson charge for a triple fatal house fire last month," the April 23, 2010, KSPR News story by reporter Emily Rittman, published under the heading, "Update: David Williams Speaks about Prosecutors Dropping Arson Charge," begins.

"At the fire scene, the home the family lived in is boarded up," the story continues.

"Three flower arrangements line the front yard --- representing the three children who died inside. The triple fatal fire killed 4-year-old Devin, 5-year-old Kelsey and 7-year-old Alexis. Their mother's fiancé is no longer in jail for charges for setting the fire. "I'm just glad he is home and I miss my kids,” Violet Watson said at a news conference Friday. “I wish they could come back but they’re not so I have to live everyday for them."

Watson never wavered. When Williams was charged with setting the fire that killed her kids, she stood by his side then and now. "I want to thank my family and friends for standing beside me through this difficult time,” Williams read. “I miss my kids so much. I want to rebuild my life and move on from this horrible tragedy."

Williams' attorney, Andy Hosmer, says Williams spent 37 days in jail. "There is some disappointment there was such a rush to judgment,” Hosmer said. “That two days after the fire charges were filed instead of waiting for lab tests to confirm or not confirm the indicators.”

Prosecutors say it was not lab results that lead to dropping the charge. Instead they say new information from fire investigators caused the change. "This dealt with fire examiners observation and analysis of the fire scene itself," Greene County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said.

On Friday, Williams read a prepared statement and did not answer reporter’s questions. Hosmer says it’s unclear if Williams will file a lawsuit. "David was not allowed to go to the funeral of these three children,” Hosmer said. “David was a father figure. There is a lot he missed out on as a result of the charges being filed against him," Hosmer said.

It’s also unclear if any charges will be re-filed. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire itself. "Police and fire examiners are still investigating we may achieve justice for those children," Patterson said.

Fire investigators said a fire dog found an accelerant on Williams’ jeans. A lab test did not find the same results. Police and prosecutors are not discussing the next step in the investigation. They will only say it is ongoing."

The story can be found at:

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/91953689.html

Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;