Mexico, Missouri (KMIZ)
A Missouri, Mexico, man has been charged with first-degree arson and armed criminal action after allegedly setting his apartment on fire Saturday, killing three of his pets.
The suspect, James Shade, 42, was arrested by Columbia Police on Wednesday and is currently being held in the Boone County Jail. An Audrain County warrant indicates he is being held without bail.
Firefighters were called to a building in the 400 block of West Monroe Street that housed eight apartment buildings and a business, according to a probable cause statement and press release. The statement said there were residents in six of the apartments.
Court documents say the fire started in a stove in Schade's apartment. The fire spread to the building's attic and adjacent apartment, rendering the building uninhabitable, according to the probable cause statement. Two cats and a dog died in the fire.
Fire investigators said in a statement that video footage showed Shade wandering outside the apartment with his two dogs for about 26 minutes and leaving about 15 minutes before smoke started coming from the building. Ta.
Schade was later seen on video “retrieving a large bag containing his belongings hidden inside construction equipment parked near the fire scene,” the statement said. During the fire, Schade posted on social media about the loss of his property and asked for donations, the statement said.
According to court documents, Schade was ordered to leave the apartment complex and was scheduled to leave the apartment by 5 p.m. Saturday.According to a press release, firefighters were dispatched at 5:36 p.m.
The probable cause statement said Schade admitted to intentionally starting the fire by leaving the stove on and leaving a bag of chicken on it.
“He said he planned the fire to get evicted and hoped that if his apartment burned, it would be easier to find a new home,” the statement said.
