Federal agents are investigating whether a Hurst attorney was the intended target of an arsonist who threw incendiary devices into the building where she has an office.
Attorney Ginger Weatherspoon said Monday that she believes she was the intended target behind the weekend fire and that investigators have already begun questioning people connected with cases that she is working."It will shake you up, but I do a lot of family law, and family law is crazy," Weatherspoon said. "I told my staff it's like being in the Pelican Brief. It's like being in a John Grisham novel."Weatherspoon said the homemade devices had been thrown through side-by-side windows of the multioffice building at 1240 Southridge Court, two landing in her office but not igniting because they had lost their wicks."They think they got knocked off when they hit the screen, so the bottles just exploded and gasoline went everywhere, but it didn't actually ignite," Weatherspoon said. "The ATF kept telling me, 'You have no idea how lucky you are that these didn't go off because it would have taken the whole building down in a couple of minutes.'"Weatherspoon said investigators told her that the devices were likely thrown late Saturday or early Sunday when no one was inside the building.At least one device did ignite inside the adjoining office of a man who works in oil and gas leasing.The blaze caused some damage but eventually burned itself out, Weatherspoon said."His office caught on fire, but he had the door shut and the air wasn't on so it went out," Weatherspoon said.Assistant Chief David Palla with the Hurst Fire Department said in an e-mail that firefighters were dispatched at 8:43 a.m. Sunday to a report of an unknown odor at the office building when they discovered four devices and damaged offices.He said the Tarrant County Arson Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were called to help with the investigation and referred additional questions to the ATF.An ATF spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking information.Weatherspoon said investigators found some of the arsonist's supplies nearby, which were seized for evidence."They actually made the stuff on the scene and left some stuff behind," she said.Weatherspoon said that while ATF agents have not confirmed whether she was the intended target behind the fire, "I know they've gone out and questioned several people on opposing sides in some cases, primarily two cases."Weatherspoon said crews were working Monday to repair the damage and replace the carpeting at the office, which still reeked of gasoline."It's upsetting. It will shake you up a little bit," Weatherspoon said."But I think if they wanted to come after me they would have come after me. I think it's apparent they were trying to scare me."Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655Twitter: @deannaboyd
How to help
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the ATF Fort Worth Field Office at 817-862-2800.
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