A Pierceton woman has been arrested for arson after being caught on camera committing the felony act.
Twila Zentz, 51, of Pierceton, was arrested December 3, 2016 for arson, a level 6 felony and criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor. Her bond was set at $15,250. Court documents were released yesterday on her most recent charges.
On December 3, the Pierceton Fire Department along with a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputy Christopher Anderson responded to a fire alarm at a residence at 9567 East Adams Rd, Pierceton.
The fire department removed a female, later identified as Zentz, from inside the residence. Medics arrived at the scene and treated her for smoke inhalation.
Pierceton Fire advised they found the fire started in the kitchen sink and appeared to be arson.
Anderson checked the kitchen sink area and found phonebooks, vehicle titles, miscellaneous papers, a burnt hammer and pieces of a broken taillight that had been set on fire. Outside of the residence, the officer found extensive damage of broken glass, damaged guitars and a red Pontiac Firebird that the windshield and taillight had been broken.
The homeowner arrived and advised the Pontiac Firebird belonged to him. He told police he had left the home around 2 a.m. that morning after an altercation with Zentz. He also told police he had a security system to monitor his residence.
The victim and police viewed the security footage and saw Zentz starting the fire in the kitchen sink with a candle that was still burning on the counter during the investigation.
Police spoke with Zentz who admitted she started the fire and destroyed property because she was angry at the victim.
The responding officer estimated the total damage costs inside and outside the home around $2,000.
