Olathe ? A former Kansas University student turned himself in to California authorities Tuesday in connection with a string of arsons in Lawrence and Johnson County.

David Ryan Jay, 23, who had been living in Olathe, was being held in San Bernardino County, Calif., after turning himself in to authorities in Fontana, Calif., officials said Wednesday at a news conference in Olathe.

Jay has been charged in Johnson County District Court in two of the 15 recent fires, said Paul Morrison, of the Johnson County district attorney’s office. The suspect faces one count of aggravated arson in connection with a fire at the clubhouse of Millcreek Apartments on March 7 and one count of arson for a March 10 fire at the Olathe Senior Residence.

His bond was set at $1 million.

He hasn’t been charged in the three Lawrence fires that had been connected to the string of what authorities called serial arson.

Federal charges are expected to be filed in connection with the Watson Library fire.

Jay lived in Lawrence between 1999 and 2001, apparently while attending KU, according to Rose Rozmiarek of the Kansas Fire Marshall’s Office. The Beloit native never graduated from the university.

The arson task force investigated more than 140 leads. The string of fires caused more than $8 million in damage.

Douglas County Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney has asked the U.S. Attorney to file federal charges in connection with the fire at Watson, in which a stack of books was set ablaze.

The suspect waived extradition this morning, Morrison said. The Johnson County sheriff’s office is making plans to get him back to Kansas later this week. Authorities said they did not have any reason to think anyone else was involved.

Jay’s parents had reported him missing at the time the string of fires began.

For more on this story, see the 6News report at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunflower Broadband’s channel 6 and pick up a copy of Thursday’s Journal-World.

Arsonists hard to figure, rarely caught (3-17-04) $10,000 reward offered in search for arsonist (3-15-04) Arsonist linked to two more Lawrence fires (3-13-04) KU police release sketch of library arson suspect (3-11-04)