CRAWFORD COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — An Oklahoma man was arrested in Crawford County on charges of attempted murder and arson stemming from an incident at his ex-girlfriend’s part-time residence in January.
Duane Hamilton, 25, of Tulsa, was booked into the Crawford County jail on September 19 on a $250,000 bond.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, deputies with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), along with EMS and the District 5 Fire Department, were dispatched to the 2300 block of Old Uniontown Road in Van Buren at approximately 3:08 a.m. on January 29 regarding a structure fire. A CCSO deputy observed that the residence there “was actively on fire on one side of the building near the carport,” and that that the hood of a vehicle was also burning.
Investigators contacted the building’s owner, who told them that she and another man were watching TV inside when they heard “a loud popping noise” outside on the other side of the bedroom wall. They left to investigate and saw that the residence and the vehicle were on fire.
The woman backed her vehicle out of the carport while it was ablaze “in an attempt to keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the residence.” She added that there were two fuel cans outside the building that she did not recognize. The cans were collected as evidence.
Damage to the property is estimated at more than $15,000 but less than $100,000. District 5 Fire Chief Dale Ingle said that the fire appeared to have been intentionally set and started on the “lower north end side of the residence.” Investigating officers found a black mask and gloves “that had the odor of gasoline” in an adjacent yard.
The owner confirmed that those items did not belong to her. A neighbor also provided security camera footage that showed “two individuals wearing black hoodies and masks” approaching the residence shortly before the fire started. One could be seen carrying two fuel cans that appeared to match those taken into evidence.
The mask and gloves were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for testing and the mask returned a DNA match to Hamilton. Investigators later determined that Hamilton had been dating the daughter of the woman that called in the fire, and that the relationship had ended approximately two months earlier. The daughter had been “living off and on” at the residence while involved with Hamilton.
Investigators interviewed the daughter on July 15 and she told them that Hamilton blocked her on social media after the relationship ended, but that her reached out to her in June, stating that he had accepted money to “take care of her” and that he “thought [she] was gone,” but he denied setting fire to the residence.
Hamilton is charged with one count of arson and one of attempted murder in the first degree.
Hamilton was appointed a public defender and entered not-guilty pleas to both charges on October 6. He has a pretrial hearing scheduled at the Crawford County Courthouse on February 7, 2023.