SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield arson suspect set fire to the porch of a home as a family slept inside because he was upset that the residents hadn’t given him food or a place to stay, according to court documents.
Eric Boyce, 24, is jailed in Greene County on a first-degree arson charge in the Dec. 15 blaze, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
The probable cause statement said that one resident reported seeing Boyce running away saying “you’re gonna burn” upon awakening. Boyce also is accused of cutting the garden hose so it would be more difficult for the residents to extinguish the fire.
All the residents made it out of the home, although one of them suffered second-degree burns while trying to extinguish the blaze.
Boyce is suspected of starting a different fire at the same home in July, but online records indicate he has not been charged in connection with that incident.
The first-degree arson charge carries a possible 15-year prison sentence. He has entered a plea of not guilty. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
