Bond has been set at $2 million for the owner of a Knox business destroyed by fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall found probable cause to charge James Campbell, 46, with arson, which is a Class A felony, during a Sunday afternoon hearing in his courtroom. He also ordered Campbell to surrender his passport. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and State Fire Marshal’s Office arrested Campbell late Friday. He owns Starke County Recycling, also known as C&C Salvage. The business, located on U.S. 35 just south of Toto Road, caught fire on Thursday, March 20. Starke County dispatchers were notified at 5:17 p.m. The Bass Lake, Knox-Center Township, Hamlet, Washington Township, Koontz Lake, North Judson-Wayne Township, San Pierre and Monterey Fire Departments all responded to the blaze and spent several hours getting it under control. One firefighter was injured. Black smoke was visible for miles, and a brigade of tanker trucks hauled water to the scene. An investigation by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conducted in October of 2012 reportedly found numerous environmental violations by Campbell at C&C Salvage and other businesses he owns. The department proposed an agreed order constituting a settlement. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department asks that anyone who took pictures of the fire or saw any vehicles leaving Starke County Recycling around the time of the fire to please contact them at 574-772-3771. Campbell’s initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court is scheduled Wednesday, April 2 at 1:30 p.m. As of this morning, he was still in jail.
