.A Potecasi man will have his first court appearance Tuesday after being charged with a total of 12 counts associated with residential fires set in the area.

Captain Patrick Jacobs of the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office said 53-year-old Joseph C. Lassiter Jr. faces six counts of felony burning buildings and six counts of burning personal property.

The Hertford County Sheriff’s Office served warrants to Lassiter Friday, warrants based on investigations by Northampton sergeants A. Leitner and W. Killian into house fires set between April 13 and May 12.

Jacobs said investigators are still trying to determine a motive. In 1991 Lassiter was sentenced to probation for damage to property and willful and wanton injury to real property in Hertford County.

Lassiter had moved to the Potecasi area from Hertford County a couple of months ago, Jacobs confirmed.

One of the homes burned was set ablaze two separate times. Several of the mobile home fires occurred at unoccupied residences and some were a total loss. There were a total of four mobile homes damaged from the intentional fires.

Jacobs described the investigations by Leitner and Killian as swift where they identified Lassiter as the purported suspect.

“We are thankful that no one was inside these homes at the time of the fires,” Sheriff Jack Smith said.

He commended Leitner and Killian “for the outstanding job with this investigation and arrest of this subject. We would like to thank Woodland Fire Department and Lasker Fire Department for their assistance and response to these fires.”

Lassiter received a $20,000 secured bond.