by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian : Pictures by Robinson
The Uvalde Hesperian spoke with Uvalde County Sheriff Rubin Nolasco Monday, January 8th, 2024 immediately following the Uvalde County Commissioners Court meeting where he was in attendance. When asked about the status of the Uvalde County Courthouse fire which investigators have deemed to be intentionally set, Nolasco said, “It’s been stalled for now.”
The fire was reported by an downtown bar and grill employee who had just gotten off work and called 911 approximately at 1:30 AM on Wednesday, August 9th, 2023. The fire was isolated to the Uvalde County Tax Assessor-Collectors Office where Rita Verstuft, the Uvalde County Tax Assessor and Collector and her staff conducted business within the Courthouse. Five months following the blaze, the east facing exterior windows of the office remain boarded up and the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office was moved to a temporary location across the street within a portion of the Uvalde County Elections office.
In the days after the fire there were rumors that a video existed showing a suspect throwing an object into the window of the Courthouse early that morning but the Uvalde Hesperian was unable to verify this claim and no video has surfaced.
Previously, Sheriff Nolasco had stated there was a person of interest in the investigation and he had also stated that forensic evidence was being examined by the State Fire Marshal’s Office who was called in the next morning to assess the fire and scene.
