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ELKINS -- A domestic dispute had been ongoing in the home of an Elkins man who was arrested over the weekend after being accused of trying to burn his own house down, according to the police report.
According to the criminal complaint, evidence was found at 59-year-old Timothy Roy McDonald's home on Upper Isner Creek Road that led to him being charged with felony first degree arson. McDonald is being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
At approximately 7:20 p.m. on July 14, the Elkins Fire Department was dispatched to the aforementioned location for a house fire. The complaint says that once on scene, firefighters discovered light smoke within the unoccupied residential dwelling.
A neighbor told responders that the occupants fled the scene just minutes before their arrival and that there had been a domestic dispute going on for the previous two days, according to the complaint.
The fire suppression crew found two distinct separate non-communicating fires, one in the hallway and the second in the back/master bedroom, the complaint states. The one in the master bedroom was still burning and was extinguished by firefighters.
A request was sent to the State Fire Marshal to conduct an investigation, according to the police report. After several attempts the following day to make contact with the owners, a search warrant for the address was issued, the complaint states.
Authorities arrived back at the location later that evening at approximately 3:28 p.m. and found McDonald on the couch in the living room, according to the report. McDonald gave consent to search the premises and indicated he was suffering a medical emergency.
During the search, officials found evidence that an ignitable liquid was utilized in the setting of one of the two fires in the home, documents state. Further examination of the burned areas revealed no competent ignition source at or near the points of origin and/or withing the fire debris.
McDonald's wife allegedly told officials that he told her that he had started the fire in the house. She told investigators that on the night of the fire, she looked toward the master bedroom door where he had just been and saw flames "up high," according to documents. She said she walked out of the house and called 911 and when he came out of the home he told her to call back and tell them the fire was out. She indicated that she did as McDonald demanded.
The complaint states that, based upon information obtained during the investigation, there was probable cause to believe at least two fires were intentionally and or maliciously ignited within the residential dwelling.
On Friday, the State Fire Marshal's Office announced that McDonald was being sought by authorities and that an arrest warrant had been issued for him in connection with the fire, which caused about $17,000 worth of damage.
Later that night, Randolph County Sheriff's Office deputies received a tip that McDonald's vehicle was parked at the Elkins Holiday Inn's parking lot, according to a Saturday release from Sheriff Rob Elbon. Deputies were informed that McDonald's wife had rented a room on the hotel's third floor, and officers located him and placed him under arrest.