Bloomington Man Charged With Arson After Allegedly Threatening Ex-Girlfriend, Starting Fire In Her Garage
BLOOMINTON, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities man is facing arson charges after he allegedly tried to burn down the house of his former girlfriend Monday in a drunken rage.
Edgar Ruiz, 49, of Bloomington, is charged via warrant with one count of first-degree arson and one count of making threats of violence, court documents filed in Hennepin County show.
According to a criminal complaint, Bloomington police responded Monday night to a fire at a home on the 8900 block of 2nd Avenue South. A woman reported that Ruiz, her former boyfriend and current roommate, had drunk an entire bottle of tequila and threatened to burn the house down.
After saying he was going to kill the woman and himself, Ruiz took a paper towel from the kitchen and used it to light a gasoline fire in the garage, the woman told police. She added that if she hadn't doused water on the fire as soon as she did, it might have burned down the house with her inside.
Police arrested Ruiz at the scene. A preliminary breath test showed his blood-alcohol content was .40. According to investigators, Ruiz is currently on probation due to a DWI conviction.
Ruiz was brought to Hennepin Healthcare for heart issues that police say were likely linked to alcohol withdrawal. Because police could not monitor him at the hospital due to staffing issues, a warrant was requested for Ruiz's arrest as he still poses a danger from his former girlfriend, who told investigators she does not want him to return to her home.
The woman told police that Ruiz has assaulted her and threatened her in the past.
If convicted of the arson charges, Ruiz faces up to 20 in prison.