Cops: Lawrenceville Arson Suspect Growled At Family, Set Girlfriend's Clothes On Fire
LAWRENCEVILLE (KDKA) – A man has been arrested after allegedly setting a fire that destroyed a home in Lawrenceville earlier this week.
According to police, the fire broke out at a home in the 5300 block of Kent Way around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. When firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames.
On Thursday, an arrest warrant was issued for Jackiedaniels Stevens, 28, of Lawrenceville.
During the course of their investigation, police interviewed Stevens' girlfriend, who said he had returned home from an overnight shift at McDonald's around 9 a.m. When he woke up around 9 p.m., he began drinking a 30-pack of Budweiser.
She had three beers with Stevens and went to bed, but was woken up several times throughout the night. Around 5 a.m., she was woken up because Stevens was singing. She then noticed he had consumed the rest of the 30-pack.
He had also smoked two packs of cigarettes and she left to go buy more. During that time, Stevens accused her of cheating on him via text and over the phone. The argument continued when she returned to the home.
During the verbal altercation, police say Stevens jumped up from the couch, knocked over a coffee table and growled.
At that point, the woman left the house with their three children.
Stevens continued to call and text the woman and threatened to burn the house down and kill her cats. In one of the texts, he's accused of telling her, "I'd rather be dead than give u child support money, hungry [expletive]." Shortly after 9 a.m. he sent a picture to the woman of her clothes on fire on the stove.
Police say there as many as 50 calls. They went on until after 11 a.m. The fire was out before 10 a.m.
"Kind of surprising because we didn't really see anything that would imply that he would go that crazy," said next door neighbor Kayla Mahoney. "But we're just really thankful again that [the fire] didn't spread to us, but really sorry for them and their losses. It could have been a lot worse."
Arson investigators later determined that two fires had been intentionally set inside the home.
One was on a mattress in the middle of the living room, while the other was in the kitchen.
There, a burned bottle of charcoal lighter fluid was found on the stove and all of the gas burners were in the on position.
According to the criminal complaint, it is believed that clothes were soaked in lighter fluid and set on fire on the stove.
Stevens turned himself in around 7 p.m. Thursday. He is now facing a list of charges, including arson, causing or risking catastrophe and recklessly endangering another person.
He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $100,000 straight bond.
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