A Gassville man has been arrested after allegedly setting fire to a house he and his wife were renting, following an argument between the two Friday afternoon.
Fifty-four-year-old Danny K. Haley has been charged with arson after admitting to police he set the fire destroying the house at 53 Moon Hollow Lane in Gassville. Haley told Gassville Police Captain Everett Uchtman he and his wife had been arguing Friday and he set the bed on fire in their bedroom. Haley told the officer the fire quickly got out of control, and he tried to put it out but couldn’t and had to exit the house.
The house was a total loss. Haley’s wife, Linda Laffoon, had left the residence after the fight to tell the owner of the home, Freddie Crownover, her husband was threatening to burn the house down. When she returned, the house was already fully involved.
Captain Uchtman told KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news, he interviewed Haley for several hours at the police station after the fire but he was very intoxicated, registering a .231 on the breathalizer and continued to change his story. At first, he said his wife burned the house down. Haley then said another person had started the fire. Then he told police the homeowner wanted the house burned down. After Captain Uchtman took Haley back to the scene and discovered the fire had started in the bedroom, Haley said he had unplugged a heater in the bedroom and a spark set the bed on fire. About three hours into the interrogation, Haley finally admitted to Captain Uchtman he had started the blaze by setting the bed on fire with a cigarette lighter.
Haley was brought back for questioning Monday morning when he was not intoxicated, and Captain Uchtman said his story was the same so he was placed under arrest for arson. Haley is being held in the Baxter County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond.
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