PARAGOULD, Ark. (KAIT) – A Paragould man faces several charges after police say he set a home on fire with several animals inside.
Paragould Emergency Services responded April 28 to the 600 block of North 7th Street regarding a residence being on fire.
According to the affidavit, the home sustained fire, smoke, and water damage. Investigators also reported finding the fire had “multiple points of origin.”
The affidavit stated that more than 10 cats and dogs were found inside the home at the time of the fire.
Detective Sergeant Jacob Higdon with Paragould police said 20-year-old Joshua Weaver was the last person at the home before the incident.
He said Weaver made “incriminating statements about the fire” and even stated that someone else was to blame. However, surveillance showed the person Weaver blamed was somewhere else at the time of the fire.
Under a Mirandized interview on Monday, May 5, Weaver reportedly made incriminating statements about the incident.
Greene County District Court Judge Dan Stidham found probable cause to charge Weaver with arson, a class B felony; aggravated cruelty to a dog, cat or equine; and filing a false report with law enforcement agency, both class D felonies.
Stidham set Weaver’s bond at $25,000 cash only and ordered him to have no contact with the victims, witnesses or other persons involved.
According to the affidavit, Weaver had previously been questioned as a suspect in another arson case.
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