Cameron Probert/Tri-City Herald (TNS)
A Pasco woman is in jail for attempted arson after allegedly throwing a burning canister of gasoline at a house.
When the 21-year-old was caught, she said she had “sent a message” to the man who raped her.
She told investigators she was “angry about what he did” and “it was about letting him know how much he hurt me,” according to court documents filed in Franklin County Superior Court.
Pasco police Lt. Tom Groom told the Tri-City Herald that investigators are taking her rape allegation seriously. He said she had not previously reported sexual harassment.
The fire was reported around 3:25 a.m. on Friday, August 2 on North Cedar Avenue.
In court documents, Officer Aaron Crawford said that when he arrived at the house, the homeowner was attempting to extinguish a small fire with a garden hose.
He saw a 3.8-litre plastic canister burning on the grass next to a fuse box.
“To prevent the fire from spreading further, I kicked the remains of the burning jar onto the sidewalk,” Crawford wrote. He smelled gas and saw that his boot was burning.
A family member of the homeowner posted surveillance camera footage on social media showing the fire near some parked cars in hopes of identifying the culprit.
The suspect’s roommate said she recognized the suspect and approached Officer Crawford when she saw him at another incident.
She stated that she lived with the suspect, who came home smelling of gasoline on the day of the fire.
The suspect also saw the posted video, hijacked her roommate’s Facebook account and sent several messages to the person who posted the surveillance video, saying the fire started because she had been raped, court documents say.
When the officer spoke to the suspect, she allegedly admitted to setting the fire and that one of the five people living there had raped her.
The woman told police she wanted to “send a message” but did not want to hurt anyone because she thought someone would notice the fire before it burned down the house.
Court documents in another case say the woman had a history of mental health issues. The Tri-City Herald is not releasing her name while police investigate the sexual assault.
She is also wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant from Franklin County. She is accused of threatening to kill several of her family members and herself in February.
She is currently facing charges of attempted first-degree arson and second-degree malicious damage to property.
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