Arson suspect makes first appearance

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Mitchell Teconchuk of rural Mountain Home made a first appearance in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and entered a not guilty plea to a long string of charges stemming from allegations that he set fire to a residence to cover up the fact that he had stolen items from the home.

The 21-year-old Teconchuk is currently being held in the Baxter County jail with bond set at $150,000.

According to court records, Teconchuk is alleged to have gone to the home situated along Highway 62 East on June 18th knowing the owners — identified as the parents of his wife — were out of town at a church function, set fire to the couple’s residence and then returned to his own home.

He is said to have then picked up his wife and returned to her parents’ home in an effort to make it appear Teconchuk and his wife discovered the fire. The wife called 9-1-1 to report the blaze.

Teconchuk’s marital status is somewhat muddled. In some reports by law enforcement agencies, the female with whom he lives is listed as his wife and in others as his girlfriend.

According to an incident report prepared by the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the daughter of the victims told the 9-1-1 operator when she was reporting the fire that Teconchuk had kicked in the door and smoke began “rolling out” of the residence.

The daughter said when the 9-1-1 report was made, the major part of the blaze was concentrated in the front of the house near a living room couch and on a bed in the master bedroom.

Both the fires in the living room and bedroom were extinguished quickly and were basically contained to the point of origin. Damage associated with smoke, fire, and water was reported throughout the structure.

Teconchuk was reported to have told a number of false stories regarding the fire to investigators in an apparent attempt to cast suspicion on other people.

At one point, Teconchuk told investigators that he had retrieved a garden hose and was spraying water on the fire through a window. As he was being interviewed by law officers, it was explained to Teconchuk that the story about the hose was untrue because a fireman said that he window had blown out just as he arrived and that Teconchuk nor a water hose were anywhere near the windown at the time.

Investigators said Teconchuk finally admitted he had been the one that set the fire and was also responsible for other crimes associated with the arson including filing false reports with law enforcement, according to a release from Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery.

Teconchuk at one point told officers that he had reported that relatives had broken into his own house along Crystal Creek and had taken items. During interviews with police, he admitted that he had been the one who broke a window out of a back door at his home to make it appear there had been a robbery. Officers located items he had reported stolen hidden in various places in Teconchuk’s home.

He also admitted writing three checks on his mother-in-law’s account and depositing two of them into his wife’s account without her knowledge.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Teconchuk has been booked into the Baxter County jail 12 previous times on a long list of charges, including theft of property, felony fleeing and breaking or entering.

Teconchuk was ordered to reappear in Circuit Court July 6th by Judge John Putman.
    

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