By LISA NICELY

nicely@crescent-news.com

PAULDING -- Paulding County officials are on the lookout for an arsonist.

Since May there have been several suspicious fires throughout the county. Now the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading up to the arrest and conviction of whoever is burning barns and other structures in the region.

On Monday, one of the arson victims looked over the ashes of what was a barn on Paulding Township Road 162. Barn owner Ray Goyings was placing a reward sign from the Farm Bureau on the site.

"I hope this helps," he said.

Goyings said he hopes someone will come forward with some information about his barn and other fires.

"There's been several barn fires (in the area)," said Jennifer Smith, organization director for the Farm Bureau. Her office covers Paulding, Putnam and Van Wert counties. "The majority have been in Paulding County."

There have been nine suspicious fires in Paulding County since May 15.

"This was the first one in the series," said Sheriff Dave Harrow, adding there are no suspects at this time. "There's no pattern. The barns were unoccupied and there was no source of ignition such as electricity or fuel stored in them."

Harrow did say that most of the fires were reported after midnight.

"At that time of night it takes it until it's completely engulfed before someone sees it," he said.

Eight structures, including one abandoned church, and one vehicle have been set on fire, according to information from the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.

Goyings' barn was found burning on May 15. The next barn hit was on Paulding County Road 73. It was set on fire May 23. On May 27, two structures burned: a barn on County Road 60 and a vacant house on Crane Township Road 192. Two other structures were set ablaze a day later. One was a barn on Paulding County Road 60, another was the old six-mile church on Paulding County Road 115.

There have been three fires so far this month. The first was a structure on Washington Township Road 48 on June 5. On June 16, a house trailer was found on fire on Paulding County Road 73. That same day there was a structure fire on Crane Township Road 192.

Harrow said the reward the farm bureau is offering is for information leading up to the arrest and conviction of a suspect or suspects.

Anyone with any information about the fires is asked to call the Paulding County Sheriff's Office at 419-399-3791.

Smith said if any other Ohio Farm Bureau members want a reward sign to put on their property, they can either call the bureau at 419-523-5874 or come to the county extension office.