The Journal Star reports that 1533 W. Butler St. was set ablaze around 1:20 p.m. by an arsonist who poured gasoline on both floors. Here’s what the paper doesn’t say: this is a known Drug Nuisance Property according to the Peoria Police Department. The website explains that “[n]uisance letters are sent to landlords, tenants and/or homeowners where illegal drug activity has occurred.”
When a landlord or homeowner receives a nuisance letter they are required to abate the nuisance up to and including eviction. By using this website, you will be able to view public records of individuals related to the nuisance letter who were arrested for narcotics possession or other offenses during search warrants or other illegal activity.
For those who are struggling with drug addiction and do not know how to recover from this illness at this page you will find online treatment and professional doctors that will be able to assist you.
The following individuals were arrested for various offenses at the listed addresses.
The listing for August shows:
Butler (1533 W.) Beasley Jr., Charles W.
Brittine, Dexter
Burse, Ricky R.
Fitzpatrick, Allen S.
Yarbrough, Aerial D.
I’d say that’s a good start to a suspect list.
Check out Emerge: http://emergepeoria.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-arsonist-is-gainfully-employed.html. She has a point — $25 is a lot of money. Somebody has a J-O-B.
Why would a tenant torch it?
Perhaps Peoria has its very own Paul Kersey actively eliminating nuisances.
“Why would a tenant torch it?”
Um… you don’t know the frustrations landlords face do you? Tenants trashing homes does happen, especially when they are gettin the boot. It is one reason why landlords don’t spend squat on fixing stuff nicely.
How many police officers is the city cutting?
Note to any future candidates… this IS your issue.
Technically it’s only arson if the owner does it (or hires it done) for insurance collection purposes.
Otherwise it’s willful property destruction or something like that.
Which is why if you have a house fire you don’t refer to it to your insurance guy as “arson”. 😉
Who owns it? Is it insured?
Why start with the tenants? Why not start with the owner, Carlos Mendiola of Pasadena, Texas?
Several years ago I owned a home that was burned. Although the house was vacant at the time, the police had responded to a call and had paws remove two pit bulls from the house the day before the fire. One of the two pit bulls was claimed by a woman with a Morton address. Despite the fact that no one had my permission to be in the house, and the fact that there was clear evidence that the home had been broken into the police had no interest in pursuing the matter. I was not even notified about the break in or the dogs until after the fire. Even after the fire I could not get the police to even call to question the woman who had her dogs in my home.
As a side note the police did not question me either, they just did not seem to really care one way or the other.
Emerge, does Carlos own any of the other homes that have burned? I would think it was the owner if it were the only home that has burned, but how many have there been? Like 7 or 8 homes burned I think? That is the only reason I think it is probably someone else. But, who knows? You may be right.
I think the Journal Star attached Carols’ name to just this one house.
“Um… you don’t know the frustrations landlords face do you?”
Um… yes, I do. I could tell you some horror stories and have heard even more, but I’ve never even heard of a tenant torching a unit. Please share your experience where one did.
Arson isn’t limited to that definition. Illinois Compiled Statutes state:
And Wikipedia simply says: