Jan. 20--BLACK CREEK -- Sheriff's deputies are looking for a man accused of setting fire to his ex-girlfriend's house and speeding away in a stolen police car early Sunday.
Anthony Scott Jordan, 41, of 604 Harper St. in Wilson, is wanted on attempted murder and arson charges after deputies say he set fire to a home at 127 Crawford Lane in Black Creek while his ex-girlfriend and her son were inside.
"At this time, we are considering the suspect armed and dangerous and will pursue every measure until he is located and brought to justice," Wilson County Sheriff Calvin Woodard Jr. said in a Sunday statement.
A Black Creek police officer was called to the Crawford Lane fire around 2:41 a.m. The officer stopped Jordan in a passing car and detained him after noticing that Jordan smelled like kerosene, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies said the Black Creek officer cuffed Jordan's hands behind his back and placed him in the front passenger side of his patrol car while he started searching Jordan's car.
Jordan started driving away in the patrol car and the Black Creek officer sustained minor injuries trying to stop him, sheriff's office Chief of Staff Wanda Samuel said in a statement. Black Creek police called deputies for assistance.
Jordan's ex-girlfriend told sheriff's detectives that she and her son heard strange noises and noticed her house was on fire after she smelled burning plastic. The Black Creek officer had seen Jordan's car parked in front of the Crawford Lane home with no one inside earlier that night.
Deputies found the stolen Black Creek police car abandoned off a service road near the intersection of Interstate 795 and Alton Road south of Wilson. Samuel said two guns were stolen from the car.
"The Black Creek officer is recovering from minor injuries he sustained in the initial investigation, and it is a blessing that he did not suffer any life-threatening injuries," Woodard said. "The sheriff's office worked tirelessly in the middle of the night until sunrise, amid chilling temperatures. We were able to locate the vehicle, obtain a substantial track and developed leads on the suspect."
A sheriff's K-9 tracked Jordan's path from the abandoned police car, but deputies hadn't found the accused arsonist Sunday night. They're seeking the public's help to find Jordan.
Samuel said he will face two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and larceny of a firearm and one count each of first-degree arson, larceny of a motor vehicle and assault on a government official.
Jordan is on active probation for a December 2010 conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon in Johnston County, according to the N.C. Division of Adult Correction. He also faces a pending charge of driving while license revoked in Johnston County.
Deputies ask anyone with information on Jordan's whereabouts to call the Wilson County Sheriff's Office at 237-2118.
[email protected] -- 265-7821
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