William Herren (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)
A Norfork man who tried to set himself on fire at a local motel in an attempted suicide has been arrested after being released from the hospital. Fifty-four-year-old William Lloyd Herren is facing two charges of arson for the incident which happened Sept. 24 at the Executive Inn in Mountain Home. Herren was taken to Baxter Health and then transferred to a Springfield hospital for treatment following the fire.
Arson is a Class Y felony, the most serious crime in Arkansas not punishable by the death penalty.
According to the incident report from the Mountain Home Police Department, once officers helped get everyone out of the motel, they noticed Herren lying on the ground in the parking lot having trouble breathing. While waiting for EMS to arrive, Herren told one of the officers he had covered himself with charcoal lighter fluid and ignited it in an attempt to commit suicide.
Officers noted in their report Herren had singed hair and red areas on his body consistent with being burned.
Mountain Home Fire Marshal Shawn Lofton’s investigation confirmed the fire started in Room 118 where Herren was staying.
Herren is being held in the Baxter County Detention Center on bonds totaling $50,000.
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