With a 'Witches Welcome' sign, a woman set fire to her porch
She was detained when she allegedly set a fire on the porch of a stranger's home in Iowa, stating that she was a witch and that the home had a sign that stated "Witches Welcome." The woman, who was 46 years old, was arrested over the incident.
Court records that were accessed by Law&Crime indicate that Michelle Young was arrested on Tuesday and charged with one count of careless use of fire or explosive or destructive device, which is a significant misdemeanor.
A homeowner contacted 911 and reported receiving a "alert of motion" from her security camera, which prompted the Burlington, Iowa Police Department to send officers to a residence located in the 2200 block of Vineyard Avenue in Burlington, Iowa, at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The news release from the Burlington, Iowa Police Department said that officers responded to the residence.
Even though the homeowner was not present at the time, she reported to the dispatcher that a woman had just "lit a fire" on her porch during that time. In addition, the homeowner stated that she was unaware of the identity of the woman and that she had never had any contact with the person who was allegedly responsible for starting the fire.
In their arrival, the first responders reported discovering Young sitting on the porch. Before she allegedly confessed to the cops that she had just lit a fire on the porch of the dwelling, she allegedly informed them that her friend lived in the house.
Police reported that firefighters from the Burlington Fire Department were able to put out the fire in a short amount of time, resulting in the residence suffering very minor damage.
The officers placed Young under arrest, and as they were searching her, they discovered that she was in possession of drug paraphernalia, which led to an extra charge of misdemeanor.
According to a story from The Hawk Eye, Young also informed authorities that she had been going around the area picking up a bunch of strange stuff before she came to the property.
Believing it was her friend’s home, she said she knocked on the front door three times, but no one replied. She reported the property had a sign that read, “Witches Welcome.” After that, she reportedly revealed to the police that she was a witch herself, and she made the decision to intentionally set a few items of clothing and a few of the goods that she had just gathered on fire.
She allegedly stated that she did not mean for the fire to injure anyone or run out of hand and damage the property.
Young was placed into the Des Moines County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bond. She is due to appear in court on the afternoon of March 29 for her preliminary hearing.
Court records that were accessed by Law&Crime indicate that Michelle Young was arrested on Tuesday and charged with one count of careless use of fire or explosive or destructive device, which is a significant misdemeanor.
A homeowner contacted 911 and reported receiving a "alert of motion" from her security camera, which prompted the Burlington, Iowa Police Department to send officers to a residence located in the 2200 block of Vineyard Avenue in Burlington, Iowa, at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The news release from the Burlington, Iowa Police Department said that officers responded to the residence.
Even though the homeowner was not present at the time, she reported to the dispatcher that a woman had just "lit a fire" on her porch during that time. In addition, the homeowner stated that she was unaware of the identity of the woman and that she had never had any contact with the person who was allegedly responsible for starting the fire.
In their arrival, the first responders reported discovering Young sitting on the porch. Before she allegedly confessed to the cops that she had just lit a fire on the porch of the dwelling, she allegedly informed them that her friend lived in the house.
Police reported that firefighters from the Burlington Fire Department were able to put out the fire in a short amount of time, resulting in the residence suffering very minor damage.
The officers placed Young under arrest, and as they were searching her, they discovered that she was in possession of drug paraphernalia, which led to an extra charge of misdemeanor.
According to a story from The Hawk Eye, Young also informed authorities that she had been going around the area picking up a bunch of strange stuff before she came to the property.
Believing it was her friend’s home, she said she knocked on the front door three times, but no one replied. She reported the property had a sign that read, “Witches Welcome.” After that, she reportedly revealed to the police that she was a witch herself, and she made the decision to intentionally set a few items of clothing and a few of the goods that she had just gathered on fire.
She allegedly stated that she did not mean for the fire to injure anyone or run out of hand and damage the property.
Young was placed into the Des Moines County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bond. She is due to appear in court on the afternoon of March 29 for her preliminary hearing.
