KENNEWICK — A Pasco woman is in jail for attempted arson after allegedly throwing a flaming jug of gasoline toward a home.
When the 21-year-old was caught, she said she was “sending a message” to a man who raped her.
She told investigators she was “angry for what he did” and “it was to let him know the pain he caused 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 accusation seriously. He said she hadn’t previously reported being sexually assaulted.
The fire was reported about 3:25 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, on North Cedar Avenue.
Officer Aaron Crawford said in court documents that when he arrived at the house the homeowner was trying to put out a small fire with a garden hose.
He saw a plastic gallon jug burning on the grass next to an electrical box.
“In order to prevent the fire from spreading further, I kicked the remnants of the burning jug onto the sidewalk,” Crawford wrote, noting he smelled gas and saw his boot was burning.
A member of the homeowner’s family posted security camera footage to social media showing the fire near some parked cars in hopes of identifying the suspect.
The suspect’s roommate said she recognized the suspect and approached Officer Crawford when she saw him at an unrelated incident.
She explained that she lived with the suspect, who had come home the day of the fire smelling of gasoline.
The female suspect also saw the video post, hijacked her roommate’s Facebook account and sent several messages to the person who posted the security video, saying that the fire happened because she’d been raped, court documents said.
When the officer talked with the suspect, she reportedly admitted to setting the fire and that one of the five people who lived there had raped her.
The woman told police “she wanted to send a message,” but didn’t want to hurt anyone, believing someone would see the fire before it burned the house.
Court documents in a separate case say the woman has a history of mental health problems. The Tri-City Herald is not naming her while police investigate the sexual assault.
She’s also wanted on an outstanding Franklin County warrant on charges she threatened to kill some of her family members and herself in February.
She’s currently charged with first-degree attempted arson and second-degree malicious mischief.
