A man whom neighbors had seen stealing a block and tackle from the property around the time of the fire was identified and arrested. He admitted to the theft,[5] and claimed he had been the one who cut the phone line, thinking it was a power line, but denied having anything to do with the fire. However, no record identifying him exists, and why he would have wanted to cut any utility lines to the Sodder house while stealing the block and tackle has never been explained.[4] Jennie Sodder said in 1968 that if he had cut the power line, she and her husband, along with their other four children, would never have been able to make it out of the house.[5]