Resident Arrested on Suspicion of Arson in Monday Morning Apartment Fire

LINCOLN–(KFOR Apr. 12)–Arson has been ruled in an apartment fire Monday morning at 10th and Park and an arrest has been made.

According to court documents, a 54-year-old Lincoln man was arrested on Wednesday night for first-degree arson. A witness told Lincoln Police they saw the man leave his apartment and was walking away, even after telling him his apartment was on fire. A mattress and bedding were found on fire inside a bedroom. Fire investigators found cigarette butts all over the apartment and a small gas can. Damage to the apartment is around $35,000.

Court documents also show the 54-year-old, who reportedly lived there for five years, was in the process of being evicted. Around the time of the fire, the property manager was in court where a judge granted their immediate eviction of the resident.

Lincoln Police officers responded to the same apartment complex on Thursday for a mental health check on the 54-year-old man. Following an interview, police learned the man burnt his apartment to make a statement, and he thought that nobody was in the complex at the time, court records show.

He told police he’d recently had his hours and pay nearly cut in half, and it’d caused him to fall behind on bills, rent and other basic needs. Police said he’d gotten the eviction notice April 5, and he bought some gas on Sunday night.

Police arrested the man on suspicion of arson following the mental health check, and he was charged on Thursday. His bond was set at 10% of $75,000.

He’s due back in court on May 14.