Smoke Alarm Sounds at Jail

A Saline County Jail inmate is facing additional charges after allegedly lighting a small fire.

According to Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski, members from the Salina Fire Department responded to the jail on Monday at 5:30pm, after smoke was discovered in an air vent.

Sheriff Kochanowski says 23-year-old Zachary Ruehlen of Clay Center, was in jail for obstruction of a law enforcement officer will now face new charges that include aggravated arson.

Back on August 29th, deputies found 6-wooden matches hidden in Ruehlen’s cell that he shared with other inmates, and he was moved to a single cell unit.

The fire, set with a wad of paper, was located in an air flow vent in his single unit and had only minor damage done to the paint.

There were no injuries, and no one was evacuated during the incident.