A New York man was arrested and charged with arson this week for allegedly setting the childhood home of a state trooper on fire — all because of some traffic tickets.
Tyler Williams, 26, was booked into Orange County Jail Wednesday after he allegedly lit up the Warwick house belonging to the father of the state trooper in an act of vengeance, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said.
Williams was pulled over by the unnamed trooper in Middletown on the evening of Dec. 20 and issued multiple tickets.
Early the next morning, the home where the officer grew up and where his father still lives, went up in flames.
His father and two other people were in the home at the time, but were able to escape and were not harmed, ABC7 reported.
“I’m so upset because we’ve been neighbors for 20 years and they are great people,” resident Mildred Garcia told the local station. “It just saddened my heart.”
Investigators soon determined that the fire was lit intentionally.
A five-month investigation conducted by multiple agencies followed — during which over 20 search warrants were issued, Hoovler said.
The probe revealed that Williams, of Middletown, had searched online for personal information about the trooper who gave him traffic tickets, including his current address, just hours after he was pulled over — and before the house fire, according to the DA.
Williams found the officer’s father’s house in his searches and allegedly started the inferno there — possibly believing it was the trooper’s current address — as an act of revenge for the traffic infractions.
He was charged with arson in the second degree and is being held without bail. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on May 21.
The New York State Police commander of the trooper involved said Williams’ arrest should illustrate how law enforcement agencies “will stop at nothing to hold dangerous criminals who endanger the lives of others accountable for their actions.”
“We will not tolerate this type of reprehensible behavior in which a member of law enforcement was targeted for simply carrying out his duty,” Commander Michael Sumnick said in a statement.
It’s unclear how many tickets Williams was given or for what infractions and fines.
“It’s beyond comprehension to think that a traffic ticket could put our families, our homes in that type of jeopardy,” Warwick Police Chief John Rader told ABC7.
