Johnny Pippin Jr. had a plan to get rid of his legal problems in Wise County.
First, there was the handwritten message that threatened the life of Wise County Attorney James Stainton, written on a wall of a basement bathroom in the Wise County Courthouse in Decatur, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released Wednesday.
Then, the 26-year-old brought his wife and their 9-month-old son to the Decatur courthouse, set a fire in a trash can in a third-floor bathroom and fled, according to the affidavit.
"In 20 years, I've never seen anyone set fire to a courthouse," said Wise County Sheriff David Walker. "It's not something that you see every day."
Pippin is now charged with arson, endangering a child and retaliation in the threat to Stainton.
He remained in the Wise County Jail in Decatur on Wednesday in lieu of $1 million bail.
Pippin also faces additional charges in cases being investigated by Decatur police and the Decatur Fire Department, Walker said Wednesday.
Pippin blamed Stainton for his legal problems, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
The investigation revealed that a handwritten message threatening Stainton's life was found on the wall in a basement restroom on Sept. 4 and courthouse security cameras showed Pippin in that restroom on that afternoon.
On the morning of Sept. 5, Pippin, his 9-month-son and his wife were seen on the security cameras in the courthouse. He was scheduled to be there to be sentenced to 50 days in jail on a misdemeanor weapons charge, according to the affidavit.
"He was trying to disrupt that day because he was going to jail for 50 days," Walker said. "Now he could go to jail for 50 years."
At some point, the Pippins are seen on the third floor of the courthouse, where a fire broke out in a restroom.
Fire investigators discovered that a glass-type bowl with chlorine and brake fluid was located at the bottom of a trash can where the blaze had started. The fire was contained to the bathroom but the courthouse had to be evacuated.
"Fortunately, no one was seriously injured when the courthouse was evacuated," Walker said. "But someone tripped and fell down some stairs in their escape from the courthouse."
In a search of Pippin's home, investigators located the backpack that matched the one he was seen with on Sept. 4 and authorities also found a large bottle of brake fluid and a chlorine tablet.
An informant told authorities that Pippin had a history of setting fires in Wise County, according to the affidavit. Pippin would set a fire in one location as a diversion, and then would go to another address to commit other criminal acts, according to the affidavit.
Several days after the fire, Pippin was sentenced to 50 days in jail for the misdemeanors weapon charge, according to the affidavit.
Copyright 2012 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
