Moberly man arrested for alleged arson

Jul. 27--A Moberly man is facing three felony charges after an alleged attempt early Sunday morning to light a house on fire using gasoline.

Jacob Davis, 28, was charged Sunday with first-degree arson and first-degree domestic assault, both class B felonies, first-degree domestic assault involving serious physical injury, a class A felony and first-degree property damage, a class E felony.

The Moberly Fire Department and later the Moberly Police Department responded to a reported structure fire on Union Avenue around 4 a.m. Sunday. When police arrived, the owner of the house had quenched the fire with a garden hose, court documents state.

The fire was contained to the front porch. Officers noted a strong smell of gasoline coming from the wooden porch and a pocket knife lying on the porch steps. There were several black burn marks along the boards of the porch and some burn damage to the house's siding, documents stated. Police also found a two-gallon jug of gasoline in the driveway.

The homeowners told police that the knife and gasoline jug did not belong to them.

One of the homeowners told police she was up to use the restroom and saw a red glare from her window and assumed it could be an ambulance down the street. However, when she looked out of her window, the woman noticed the front porch covered in flames. She woke up the other homeowner who put out the flames with a garden hose, court documents state.

Police asked the couple if anyone they knew had animosity toward them, but they could not think of anyone. One of the owners mentioned Davis, a family member who was known to abuse drugs and has felony drug convictions. They told police that someone may have started the fire thinking that Davis was staying at the house.

Shortly after speaking to the homeowners, police responded to a peace disturbance call on Taylor Street involving Davis and a family member.

The family member had received a call from one of the aforementioned homeowners about the fire. The family member walked into their home's living room to find Davis awake and sitting on the couch, according to court documents.

The family member told police that Davis did not smell like gasoline at the time. They informed Davis of the fire, but he did not appear upset about the news, documents stated. The family member told police that Davis said the fire should have been done right the first time and that whoever started it did a good thing.

Davis initially told police that he was at a friend's house drinking during the alleged arson. He later admitted that he was near the scene while walking home from his friend's house, the documents state. He told officers that that he saw the porch engulfed in flames, but continued walking home and did not offer any assistance or call emergency services.

Officers found a pair of Davis' boots that smelled strongly of gasoline and that were recently soiled with a liquid, the documents state. Officers also noted smelling a faint odor of gasoline coming from Davis' clothes during an interview. A lighter also was found in Davis' pants, but he did not have any cigarettes and never requested to smoke, according to documents.

Davis was taken into custody Sunday morning and a $100,000 cash-only bond was set due to his prior felony convictions. As of Monday afternoon, Davis was still in custody in the Randolph County Jail.

If convicted and given a maximum sentence on all charges, Davis could face up to 64 years in prison.

ecliburn@moberlymonitor.com

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