Waldo Arrested; Charged with 12,980 Counts of Arson

BOISE, ID - Authorities have finally caught up with renegade beloved children's character Waldo, and after a brief standoff in a Boise apartment, was arrested and charged with over 12,000 counts of arson that date back to 2001.

"It's a good thing that we finally found this character and put a stop to his nefarious deeds," said Sergeant Manuel Miller of the Boise police department. "He won't be bothering anyone any more."

First exposed for his deeds by The Pummelo because of his setting the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs that is considered to be the worst wildfire in state history. Consuming 346 homes and responsible for the deaths of at least two people, the Waldo Canyon Fire was finally declared 100% contained yesterday evening.

"Do I regret that people died because of my actions?" asked Waldo. "I suppose so. Do I care that people lost their homes? Not really - after all, that's what insurance is for. And sure I might get death threats, but I know for a fact that they are going to stick me in solitary confinement for the rest of my life, so good luck finding me to try to off me."

Authorities believe Waldo may be responsible for over $1 trillion in damages over the past decade. "There's no telling how much damage this little firebug as done," said Jill Matthews, Public Information Officer for AAA. "From homes to vehicles to lives that are priceless, Waldo has made it very difficult for many families over the years. It's a shame that it has taken so long to find him so that his arson spree could be stopped."

Jay, our reporter based in Colorado Springs, is thankful that everything is over for good. "If I ever find Waldo, I'm going to break his neck!" he declared. "Until then, we're just going to do everything we can do to restore our lives back to some normalcy."

Waldo is expected to make his first court appearance this Friday on state charges of arson, but Federal authorities may also file charges against him. Colorado has already put in an extradition request so that they can file murder charges.

All this makes Waldo shrug. "You guys finally found me. Good for you... but you haven't heard the last from Waldo."