Police: Macomb Man Set Own House On Fire
MACOMB COUNTY (WWJ) - A Macomb Township man is staring down charges of arson after allegedly setting his house on fire last week.
Macomb County Sheriff's officials said the suspect, 35-year-old Dujuan Edward Smith, confessed to the crime a short time after the incident occurred.
Deputies were called to the scene of the fire on February 1 at around 7:41 p.m. and found Smith's home to be enveloped in flames. Macomb County investigators surveyed the scene and determined that the fire was in fact intentional.
Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said Smith and his 55-year-old female caregiver, with whom he lived, got into a heated exchange just a short time before the reported incident.
"She came in earlier in the day to report that they had an altercation, in which she was assaulted, a short time later we did receive a 911 call that the house that they resided in was on fire," Wickersham said.
Wickersham and his officials believe that Smith's motives for the crime came from the earlier incident.
"It appears to us that the altercation that they had earlier in the day upset him and this was his way of getting back at her," Wickersham said, adding that Smith's caregiver is now living with family.
Smith was given an interim bond of $250,000 on Saturday and was expected to be formally arraigned on Monday. If convicted, Smith could face up to 20 years in prison.
