Louisiana Man Arrested for Setting Apartment on Fire

(KPEL News) - Louisiana officials say a man has been arrested after being accused of setting a fire in an apartment.

Louisiana Man Arrested for Allegedly Setting a Fire in an Apartment

Officials with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office have arrested a 41-year-old man for setting the fire, which was discovered later on by a tenant of the apartment. According to officials, the fire ended up burning itself out.

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Louisiana Apartment Fire Victim Came Home to Discover Damage

When the tenant discovered damage to the apartment unit, they called in the authorities. All of this happened in the early morning hours on Tuesday, March 24. State investigators were called in to begin an investigation.

Investigators say they believe Theortis Walton of Haynesville intentionally set the fire, and the man was booked into jail on a charge of Aggravated Arson.

What Penalties Does Aggravated Arson Carry in Louisiana?

The Louisiana law dealing with Aggravated Arson, R.S. 14:51, is described as follows:

A.  Aggravated arson is the intentional damaging by any explosive substance or the setting fire to any structure, watercraft, or movable whereby it is foreseeable that human life might be endangered.

B.  Whoever commits the crime of aggravated arson shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than six nor more than twenty years, and shall be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars.  Two years of such imprisonment at hard labor shall be without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

READ MORE: DISTURBING ARREST AS MAN ALLEGEDLY USED OVEN TO START A FIRE

Obviously, if convicted, the jail sentence can be extensive. Walton could face a minimum of six years up to twenty years in prison.

Officials says while the fire was set in the early morning hours of Tuesday, it wasn't discovered what happened until the tenant returned to their home around 8:00 a.m.

According to the State Fire Marshal's Office, if you have information about an arson crime, you can report that information anonymously by visiting their website, lasfm.org, and looking for the "Arson Fires" icon.

No injuries were reported from the fire.