A Wisconsin woman is facing felony charges after she allegedly set fire to her father’s home with him inside.
Laquita Spears allegedly used a lighter and “charcoal fluid” to set the flames intentionally, which later spread to other apartments which housed a number of “elderly people” with a “large majority of those being disabled,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime.
She was charged with one count of arson, and two counts of reckless endangerment.
In a probable cause statement in the complaint, police claimed Spears, 48, had been “kicked out of a shelter” two weeks prior to the incident and her father — who was unnamed — had allowed her to stay with him. There were reportedly no major issues between the pair until January 13, when Spears allegedly began “screaming” at the older man and “not making any sense about $5 that should have been lent to her by a family member.” He also told authorities that she had been talking to herself lately.
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When he told her “she could no longer stay at his apartment,” she continued to yell and swear at him.
“When defendant did not stop cussing, [the father] called the police and observed his couch was on fire against the wall,” the report stated. “He observed defendant walking from the front room towards the apartment door holding a red Bic lighter and yelled at him ‘burn motherf***er, burn!’”
The father attempted to put out the fire himself, but was “unsuccessful.”
As the fire raged, “occupants of the apartment complex were self-evacuating and some people were hanging out of windows,” per a report made by Detective Steven Jegen, who investigated the incident.
In the end, 150 people in the building were evacuated. Additionally, the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) told police that “several apartments were damaged due to fire and water and several occupants of the apartment were transported to local hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation.”
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Spears was eventually found and questioned by police, during which she “admitted she squirted ‘the charcoal’ on top of a jacket that was on top of the couch in the living room.”
“Defendant stated she also retrieved a laundry basket of clothing and placed it on a table in the living room and squirted the charcoal fluid on the clothes,” according to police.
However, she claimed she was not trying to hurt anyone and allegedly did not realize that the fire would spread so quickly.
This isn’t the first time Spears has been arrested for similar crimes. She’s also previously been involved in other arson-related incidents with family members, according to the police complaint.
Spears is currently being held on $50,000 bail. If released, she will not be allowed to be near her father. Her next court date is scheduled for February 26.
If you are experiencing elder abuse or suspect someone you know is, you can call the Eldercare Locator at (800) 677-1116 and speak to a specially trained operator who can refer you to a local agency that can help. The Eldercare Locator accepts calls Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
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