South Lake Tahoe Police have made an arrest in a robbery and arson investigation. Early the afternoon of July 16th, police responded to the 1000 block of Echo Ave for a report of a robbery. Investigators say 43-year-old Eric Almdale of South Lake Tahoe had threatened to kill a family member over money, and once he got the money, he ran off. Early the morning of July 17th, officers responded to an alarm in the 2200 block of Helen Avenue, and found someone had broken into a home there and tried to start a fire using debris and an accelerant. The fire burned portions of the walls and floor, and appeared to have extinguished itself. Later the same morning, police say, Almdale walked into Barton Memorial Hospital and began cutting up furniture in the waiting room with a knife. Police took Almdale into custody, and determined he was responsible for the arson on Helen Avenue. Almdale told officers of three other fires he had started during the same time frame in wooded areas near the “Y” area of town. Police checked those areas and confirmed areas that had been freshly burned, and fires had put themselves out. Almdale has a history with arson.