Updated at 7:15 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A rural Chehalis resident was arrested today, suspected of setting a middle-of-the-night fire at his ex-wife’s house.
A man and woman escaped uninjured from the June 1 blaze that pretty much destroyed the home on the 900 block of B Street in Centralia.
Fire investigators learned an accelerant was used and determined there was animosity between the occupants, and her ex-husband James Johnson, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald said a crime lab analysis of an item believed to have been left at the scene by Johnson revealed a DNA profile that matched him.
“Based on the DNA evidence and other corroborating circumstances, CPD detectives determined there was probable cause to believe Johnson was responsible for setting the fire,” Fitzgerald stated in a news release.
He declined to say what the item was.
When the fire was discovered, the garage was already fully involved, and it traveled through a carport and to the house, Fitzgerald said. Firefighters at the time said the man got up to use the restroom, smelled smoke and as he opened the back door, flames kind of licked at him.
Today at about 12:45 p.m., detectives found Johnson driving near his home south of Chehalis, and arrested him for two counts of first-degree arson. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.
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For background, read “Centralia house fire displaces two” from Sunday June 1, 2014, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
ok, that spelling error is priceless.