More details have been released about a house fire last month that was set intentionally by a man upset with his roommate. Facing several charges for the incident, which also included torturing and killing his roommate’s cat, is 36-year-old Bradley Marcus Hanes of Mountain Home.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, the Mountain Home Fire Department was paged out for a house fire at 328 S. Kingswood Dr. the morning of Dec. 30. An off-duty firefighter was the first to arrive and found Hanes standing in the garage of the house that was on fire.
The renter of the house told police he had rented a single room to Hanes, but Hanes was having trouble paying his rent and he asked him to move out at the end of the year. The two had argued when the victim asked Hanes to clean the common areas because the victim’s girlfriend was coming over. The victim left town Dec. 29 and told Hanes he was to be out of the house by the time he returned.
Police investigators and the Mountain Home Fire Marshal found a lamp in the victim’s bedroom had been plugged into an outlet through toilet paper and three points of origin of the fire were located in the garage.
Vulgarities had been written on one wall in the bedroom. Other vulgarities had been written in his closet using cat feces.
Hanes was taken to Baxter Health for precautionary reasons. He was questioned there and told investigators he tortured and killed one of the victim’s cats.
While cleaning the house after the fire, the victim found his other cat in the dryer that was still alive.
The victim estimates the value of his possessions lost in the fire is between $35,000 and $40,000. He did not have renter’s insurance.
The home owners did have insurance and are waiting for an estimate on the total amount of damage.
Hanes is facing felony counts of arson, animal cruelty and criminal mischief in the first degree. He is being held in the Baxter County Detention Center with bond set at $75,000.
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