On Feb. 28, 2021, at approximately 4:12 p.m., the Champaign Fire Department responded to a fire inside of a home located at 1712 Paula Drive. Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire inside the single-family home. No injuries were reported to the authorities, and the occupants of the home were displaced.
Champaign Police were requested to assist the Champaign Fire Department with the incident. On March 15, 2021, following further investigation, the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for 30-year-old Kayla Reifsteck for the offense of Residential Arson in connection with the fire. Reifsteck was arrested by Champaign Police on March 21, 2021, in the 900 block of Foley Avenue, and is currently being held at the Champaign County Satellite Jail awaiting future court proceedings.
Although an arrest has been made, the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to please contact police at 217-351-4545. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately. If you wish to remain anonymous you may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
Champaign Police reminds citizens that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.