Two law enforcement officers receive awards for cracking arson case spanning 20 years

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office recently announced Detective Ryan Murphy and Conservation Warden Bill Hankee were presented with the Harold D. Hettrick Investigative Excellence Award for their work in collecting evidence and solving a 20-year serial arsonist case involving past fires on private and public lands in Washington and Fond du Lac counties.

Conservation Warden Hankee used his past experience as a law enforcement officer in the case. Before becoming a warden in Fond du Lac County in early 2016, he spent eight years as a law enforcement officer for the state of Wyoming.

Their investigation ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of a serial arsonist in 2023.