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DNA on Gas Can Nozzle Leads to Arrests in 2025 Midlothian Arson Case
More than a year after surveillance video showed a man setting a sleeping family's Midlothian home on fire, police arrested two men â one in DeSoto, one in Kerens â using DNA from a gas can nozzle and Flock camera data.
MIDLOTHIAN â Police have arrested two men in connection with an August 2025 arson that targeted a family asleep inside their home, a case cracked by DNA on a discarded gas can nozzle and a network of automated license-plate cameras that traced a pickup truck more than 60 miles from Kerens to the scene.
Rashad Gilbert Harrington, 27, of DeSoto, and Bennie Leon McGriff Jr., 55, of Kerens, were taken into custody Nov. 5, the Midlothian Police Department said. Harrington faces an arson charge; McGriff faces arson and assisting in the commission of the crime. Harrington's bond was set at $50,000 and McGriff's at $20,000.
The fire broke out around 1:05 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2025, at a home in the 900 block of McAlpin Road. The family was asleep when flames began spreading. The homeowner's daughter told investigators she woke her family, and the homeowner managed to put out the fire before emergency crews arrived.
Surveillance video captured a man pouring gasoline around the front of the house, lighting it and running off. Police identified that man as Harrington.
Days after the fire, sisters Tiza and Malia Rivera described the terrifying moment they realized their father's home was burning. "When I came down the stairs, I seen the flames right here in the window," Malia Rivera said.
More than a year later, the homeowner told reporters he still does not know why his family was targeted. He said investigators showed him multiple photos of the two men, and he did not recognize either of them.
The break in the case came from forensic work. A gas can nozzle recovered near the scene was submitted for analysis, and DNA from the nozzle matched Harrington, police said.
Detectives then followed a digital trail. Surveillance footage from nearby homes showed a white Ford F-450 pickup traveling through the neighborhood before and after the fire. Using Flock camera technology, investigators determined the vehicle had traveled from Kerens to Duncanville and then to Midlothian shortly before the offense, according to police.
Investigators also found that McGriff had been in contact with Harrington before and after the incident. Police allege McGriff drove Harrington to the Midlothian home and later drove him away from the scene.
Alex del Carmen, a criminologist not involved in the investigation, said the department combined multiple investigative tools to build its case. "The Midlothian Police Department did something exceptionally well here," del Carmen said, pointing to the DNA evidence, the camera network and the likely use of cellphone location data to place suspects at the scene at the time of the crime.
Police said additional arrests are possible as the investigation continues.