Burlington, IA- The Burlington Police Department has announced the arrest of woman for lighting a fire on the porch of a house that she believed belonged to her friend.
According to a news release, the incident occurred just after 4:30 PM, Tuesday March 19th. The resident of 2224 Vineyard Street called DESCOM after they received an alert of motion from their security camera.
The resident, who was not home at the time, watched video from the camera as a woman lit a fire on their porch. The resident said they did not know the woman and had never seen her before.
Burlington Police Officers and firefighters were dispatched to the residence, and when they arrived they discovered 46-year-old Michelle Young standing on the porch.
Young told officers that her friend lived there and admitted to setting the fire. Young said she started the fire using miscellaneous items she picked up while walking in the area.
Officers were able to view the video from the security camera and identified Young as the one who started the fire. Officers then arrested Young and discovered drug paraphernalia on her person.
The fire department quickly extinguished the fire and there was minimal damage to the porch. Young was charged with Reckless Use of Fire, a serious misdemeanor, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
