Man allegedly set fire to ex’s Frederickson-area home while her mother was inside
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A man accused of setting his ex’s Frederickson-area home on fire while someone was inside is being held on a $500,000 bail.
The 37-year-old pleaded not guilty at arraignment Friday to first-degree assault, first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, residential burglary and two counts of violating a no-contact order in Pierce County Superior Court.
Charging papers give this account of what happened:
A no-contact order prohibited him from going to the home where his ex of about five years lives with their children and her mother.
The man went to the home Wednesday, uninvited, and spoke with the mother.
The declaration for determination of probable cause said the mother “went to her room briefly. She then heard her dog barking frantically. She went outside her bedroom and the trailer was full of smoke, so thick that she could not see her hand in front of her face.”
She escaped. Most belongings in the home were damaged.
The man called 911 early the next morning and “mumbled something about being back at the residence to handle some business,” the probable cause statement said.
Deputies saw what looked like someone with a flashlight inside the home. SWAT ultimately responded and the man was arrested.
“The defendant refused to comply with commands to exit,” the probable cause statement said. “… A chemical agent was deployed. As part of the arrest team, a K9 was deployed and found the defendant in the bathroom.”
He has a pending charge of first-degree burglary, felony harassment, violation of a protection order and fourth-degree assault, also related to his ex and her boyfriend. Bail in that case was increased to $75,000 Friday.
In August the 37-year-old allegedly hit his ex’s boyfriend with a chair, clothes hamper and a small table, and bit him.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 12:24 PM.
