A 19-year-old female is now in police custody after she allegedly set her mother-in-law’s house on fire.
The incident occurred at about 11:00 hours on Saturday at Lot 30 Kingley Village, West Coast Berbice.
According to Police reports, the suspect – Treasha James – is “of unsound mind” and was living at the now destroyed house.
Police say the two-storeyed wooden and concrete structure property belonged to Jean Harte, who resides in the upper flat of the house.
Harte told investigators that she was at home when James ran upstairs and told her that she had lit the mattress in the bedroom on the lower floor on fire. The woman then ran downstairs, saw smoke, and started to disconnect the gas bottle.
Both females then ran out of the building as the fire quickly spread.
The Fire Service was summoned and upon arrival, extinguished the blaze. However, by that time, the building was already gutted.
According to the police, the teenager was later contacted by officers on the Kingelly Public Road, informed of the allegation made against her, and she was further cautioned and arrested. She is presently in custody at Weldaad Police Station.
Investigation in progress.
