Dec. 11--A Kingston man is charged with throwing a flaming sock onto a neighbor's car over a dispute about a barking dog.
Larry Scott O'Brien, 22, of 113 W. Union St., is charged with arson, reckless burning, risking catastrophe and criminal mischief. He is accused of throwing a burning sock on a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier owned by Anna M. Wood.
According to a police affidavit, officers were called to the apartment building at Mercer Avenue and West Union Street about 12:40 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a small fire.
Firefighters removed a burning sock from the vehicle and extinguished the blaze on a sidewalk.
As officials were investigating, O'Brien approached them and told them he had just been arguing with the car's owner and offered to take police to her, according to the affidavit.
O'Brien told police he had been arguing with Wood because he has been having problems with her dog keeping him up at night and he suspects she has stolen property from his apartment, the affidavit says.
Although he initially denied starting the fire, O'Brien later admitted he had pulled a sock from the laundry, lit it on fire with a lighter and then threw it from his porch, police said.
The first sock missed the car, however, so O'Brien put another sock in a coffee cup, wrapped it in medical tape and lit it on fire before throwing it onto Wood's car, police said.
Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker arraigned O'Brien on the charges Tuesday morning. O'Brien was being held at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility with bail set at $25,000 and a preliminary hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 18.
570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin
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