Men arraigned in Christmas Eve burglary, arson in Hockinson

A man accused in a Christmas Eve burglary and arson of a Hockinson house, and his older brother, who allegedly helped him evade arrest, were arraigned Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court.

Joshua Roland, 29, of Battle Ground entered not-guilty pleas to two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree arson, three counts of first-degree theft, three counts of theft of a firearm, three counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of residential burglary and one count of second-degree theft, between four incidents all allegedly committed between Dec. 21 and Jan. 5, court records show. His trial is scheduled for March 26.

His brother, Michael Roland, 32, of Battle Ground, pleaded not guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance. His trial is set for April 23.

Joshua Roland’s co-defendant in the burglary and arson, Daniel L. Cronin, 35, entered not-guilty pleas Friday to first-degree burglary, first-degree arson, first-degree theft, two counts of theft of a firearm and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. His trial is set for March 5.

Cronin and Joshua Roland are accused of breaking into and then setting fire to a Hockinson house in the 17000 block of Northeast 119th Street, after Roland cut his thumb inside and was bleeding profusely. The men reportedly started the fire to cover up the blood evidence, according to affidavits of probable cause filed in both of their cases.

That fire displaced a family, which is now working to restore the home to its original state.

Michael Roland is accused of providing his brother with his Washington identification and $500 in cash to help him skip town, according to a separate probable cause affidavit.