How would you weigh the choice to have a pacemaker implanted if you knew that information from the device could be used against you in a criminal case? A man in Ohio is having his own cardiac rhythm used against him as he faces charges of aggravated arson and insurance fraud. This week, he pleaded not guilty to those charges. [More]
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Police: Walmart Shopper Doused Halloween Costumes With Lighter Fluid, Set Them On Fire
By 10.14.15
There always has to be someone – or something – that tries to ruin everyone’s favorite spooky holiday: the thief who wiped out a preschoolers’ pumpkin patch, the wild boars that threatened to put a damper on trick-or-treating, and now a California man who allegedly set an aisle of Halloween costumes on fire at Walmart. [More]
Do Not Set Bird Seed On Fire To Distract Walmart Staff From Shoplifters
By 4.4.14
Shoplifting is a crime, a scourge in the retail business, and very, very bad. Do you know what’s worse than than shoplifting, though? Setting the store on fire to distract store security while your companion shoplifts. Now a Minneapolis woman has been charged with two counts of arson, and the Walmart store where this happened sustained six-figure damage. [More]
Hotel Security Director Accused Of Setting Fires At Work So He Could Kick Back & Drink
By 9.24.13
Who hasn’t grumbled to another employee during a work fire drill whilst milling around on the sidewalk outside the office, “Well, at least we aren’t at our desks…”? Cherishing the few moments outside while the fire alarm goes off is one thing, but New York officials say the head of security at a high-end hotel went a bit too far in setting fires just so he could partake in a few drinks on the job. [More]
Animal Rights Group Says It Torched Idaho Fur Shop
By 9.28.11
An Idaho store that sells fur coats and fireworks was set on fire Monday, and a group of animal rights activist say they started the blaze that caused $100,000 in damage. The admitted arsonists say they will strike again if the business resumes operation. [More]
Man Who Torched Car To Save Home Ends Up In Court
By 3.24.11
A Utah man had a bold plan, which we told you about last year. His house was going into foreclosure unless he could come up with $21,638.02 to pay HSBC. So he announced to the world that he would burn his car and post the video online in exchange for donations. He raised about $15,000 and even sold $1,200 worth of advertising on the side of the car. He tried to work with local fire departments to get them to let him burn the car, to no avail. So he did it on public land and now he’s in court and getting fined, reports KSL. [More]
Man Sets House On Fire, Dies In It, After Losing Home To Homeowners' Association
By 9.6.10
Feuds between homeowners and homeowners’ associations can get pretty intense, as BoingBoing pointed out twice last week. One feud in Ogden, NC, was so bad that the man’s house was sold by the court to pay for dues and fines levied by the association. The house was sold earlier this summer, reports the Star-News, and last month the man doused everything in gas and set the place on fire. [More]
Man Offers To Set Car On Fire To Save Home From HSBC Foreclosure
By 7.26.10
John admits on his blog that he’s responsible for falling six months behind on his mortgage. But once he got over his divorce and losing his adopted son and started trying to make things right, he ended up in loan modification limbo at HSBC. The bank never moved forward on any modification, and now he has to pay $21,638.02 today if he wants to keep his house. Logically, he’s offering to burn his car and post the video online in return for donations. [More]
Marijuana Dispensaries In Montana Firebombed
By 5.11.10
Some residents of Billings, Montana are pretty upset at the burgeoning medical marijuana industry there–CNN says the town of 100,000 has had about 90 applications for storefronts since the state legalized it in 2004, and that the businesses operate with little regulation. On consecutive mornings this past weekend, someone spraypainted “Not in our town” on the sides of two establishments, then threw rocks through the front doors followed by Molotov cocktails. And then they probably chilled out for a while. [More]
Foxconn Workers In Mexico Revolt, Set Factory On Fire
By 2.20.10
Gizmodo reports, based on a story in the subscription-only El Norte, that workers in a Foxconn factory in Juarez, Mexico became enraged and set the building on fire. Supervisors had misled the workers into working unpaid overtime. A delightful follow-up to the Reuters report about a Foxconn security guard threatening a foreign reporter. [Gizmodo] (Thanks, GitEmSteveDave!) [More]
By 6.6.08
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Diane Craig from Danville, CA. faces arson charges after she set fire to 2 gas stations and a Starbucks to protest high gas prices. Police said they don’t know why she targeted Starbucks. [KCRA] (Thanks to Kristie!)
Will The Foreclosure Tsunami Lead To An Arson Boom?
By 1.10.08
Faced with foreclosure on her Russellville, Indiana home, Christina Snyder allegedly concocted the kind of plan that now has insurance executives on edge.
