Man with previous arson charge arrested for setting fire to UK police van
A man with a previous arson charge has been arrested in connection to a vehicle fire set on the University of Kentucky’s campus, according to court documents.
The UK Police Department arrested Santosh Sharma, 31, on July 24 and charged him with second degree arson. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning.
The incident was reported around 4:30 a.m. on July 6, when a person set fire to a Ford van in a parking lot off Linden Walk and then fled. The school’s police department later confirmed the van was a campus police car.
Campus security camera footage led the UK Police Department to identify Sharma, said UK spokesperson Dani Jaffe in an email to the Herald-Leader. According to court documents, Sharma was seen using his phone near the vehicle and was the only person on camera in the area where the fire was set.
Police said the department’s vehicle was found with two lighter fluid bottles near it leading them to believe the car was set on fire intentionally.
The school’s notice about the incident said the fire was extinguished with help from the Lexington Fire Department, and was investigated by UKPD, the UK Fire Marshal’s Office and the Lexington Fire Department. The investigation is listed as “open” in the UK campus crime log.
In the email statement, Jaffe said safety is the school’s No. 1 priority.
“UKPD is continually monitoring trends and implementing strategies to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” the statement said. “Last year, the university established additional safety and security efforts, including additional patrols, temporary lighting and new partnerships to protect the UK community, both on and off campus.”
Sharma previously pleaded guilty to attempted arson at the Mary Todd Lincoln House in 2023, where he was seen pouring gasoline onto the building and had a lighter in his pocket, according to court documents.
The July 6 incident is the second intentional vehicle fire the UK Police Department has investigated this summer.
On Sunday, June 8, campus police responded to a vehicle on fire behind Memorial Coliseum, the arena for the school’s women’s sports teams. According to a notice sent by the university at the time, a preliminary investigation said an unknown person approached a parked Nissan Altima and set it on fire. The incident is also described as criminal mischief in the UK campus crime log and that investigation is listed as “open.”
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