Hempfield man accused of arson after garage fire
A Hempfield man accused of setting a fire at a garage attached to a house last week was denied bail Wednesday on arson charges.
Jacob David Baker, 20, was extremely intoxicated at the time of the Nov. 4 fire and taken to Independence Health Westmoreland Hospital for an evaluation, police said in court papers.
Witnesses told troopers Baker was staying in the garage along Armbrust Road and admitted to starting the fire near his bed in the garage. Five other people live in the home.
Two of them were able to extinguish the flames before firefighters got there, police said.
A state police fire marshal determined the fire started in a pile of clothes, a wooden chest and a mattress. A propane torch was found on a nightstand a few feet away, according to court papers.
Baker is charged with aggravated arson, risking catastrophe and related offenses. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 27.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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