FAYETTEVILLE -- A man charged with setting his home on fire while three children and three adults were inside pleaded guilty to arson and attempted murder Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court.
Nicholas Rodriguez, 32, of 33 W. Elm St. was sentenced to 20 years on the attempted murder charge and 16 years with 14 years suspended on the arson charge. Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor ordered the terms to run consecutively.
All occupants of the home escaped unharmed.
Police responded to a domestic disturbance in May 2015 and were looking for Rodriguez in the neighborhood when an officer saw flames coming from the side of a single-story home. A woman ran toward his car and said Rodriguez "tried to burn my house down with my babies inside," according to a police report.
One adult in the house put out the fire at the front door for his children to escape, while others leaped over flames at two other doorways. Two families were living in the home.
An officer found Rodriguez nearby and arrested him. Rodriguez told investigators he poured gasoline in the doorways and lit it, then went across the street to wait, according to the police report.
Rodriguez said he was only trying to scare his wife, according to the police report.
NW News on 06/29/2017