Woman Arrested On Suspicion Of Burning Up Her Own Apartment
Jennifer Young
APD PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YEAR-OLD ARSON CASE SOLVED
On Aug. 23, 2012, the Arcata Police Department responded to the 2500 block of Alliance Road to assist units from the Arcata Fire Protection District with an apartment fire. The fire caused significant damage to one unit and minor damage to surrounding units.
The occupant of the apartment, 30-year-old Jennifer Young, was not home when firefighters and police officers arrived. Officers located Young a short time later in the downtown Arcata area. Investigating officers interviewed the woman who stated she had not been at home when the fire started and only learned about it after being called by a friend.
In early July 2013, investigators received information that Young may have intentionally started the fire in her apartment on Aug. 23, 2012.
After additional investigation by Arcata Police Department detectives, it was determined that there was probable cause to believe Young had in fact intentionally set the fire that destroyed her apartment on Aug. 23, 2012.
On July 18, 2013, Young was arrested without incident and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of 451(b) PC, Arson of an Inhabited Dwelling.
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Det. Sgt. Todd Dokweiler said that in the course of investigating other incidents, “this gal kind of popped up so we thought we should take another look.”
He said he had no insight into Young’s reasons for allegedly setting her own home on fire. “The same motivation any arsonist has,” he said. “Who knows what that is?”
The arson charge is a felony.
