August 25, 2004

Suspect arrested in WRT arson

       A 25-year-old resident of Friendly Village Mobile Home Community was arrested Monday on a charge of arson in a fire that destroyed a neighboring trailer.  Joseph A. Tharpe is accused of setting a fire Aug. 2 that destroyed a trailer at Lot 112, next door to his residence.  Fire Marshal Eric Brown of the White River Township Fire Department said Tharpe told authorities he started the fire intending to harm himself but changed his mind. Tharpe tried to put the fire out and returned to his residence, but the blaze spread and destroyed the empty trailer.  No one was injured in the fire, and the trailer had been vacant for about a year since the owners moved to Texas, Brown said. Damage was estimated at $10,000.

        Investigators found pour patterns from an accelerant inside the trailer but have not yet been able to pinpoint what liquid was used, Brown said.  Tharpe has been a suspect from the beginning, Brown said. Investigators interviewed him several times and found inconsistencies in his stories, he said.   On Monday, Tharpe admitted he entered the trailer and set the fire, Brown said.  “He went over there and set the fire to do harm to himself,” said Detective Sgt. Bob Sexton of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, who also interviewed Tharpe.  “He said he lit a piece of paper and was going to stay inside but decided against the whole idea and tried to put it out before leaving.”

        Tharpe was staying at Lot 113, next door to the burned trailer, after being recently released from prison in Marion County, Brown said. He also has a pending felony burglary case in Madison County, Brown said.  Tharpe was held Tuesday at the Johnson County jail on $40,000 bond. He is charged with arson, a Class B felony that carries a penalty of six to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.  (This story reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal.)

 
 
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