March 05--MAXTON -- A Maxton man has been charged with setting fire to the home he and his girlfriend rented and then assaulting two firefighters who tried to extinguish the blaze, according to the Robeson County Sheriff's Office.
Michael Lee Clark, 29, was arrested on Sunday after a brief visit to Southeastern Regional Medical Center for shoulder injuries, according to Lt. Brian Duckworth, arson investigator.
Firefighters responded to Clark's Porcelain drive home at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday and by the time they arrived, the home was consumed by flames, Duckworth said.
Duckworth said Clark then assaulted two females, telling one "it was her fault and she made him do it." While one of the women was sitting in a car, Clark smashed the windshield, Duckworth said.
Clark also struck one firefighter with a 10-foot tree limb and hit a second firefighter in the face with a coat.
When sheriff's deputies arrived, Duckworth said, Clark resisted arrest.
Clark and his girlfriend, Amber Chavis, lived in the mobile home, which was owned by Deryl Smith. Duckworth said the home, valued at $10,000, along with $10,000 worth of items inside were destroyed.
Clark is charged with second-degree arson, burning personal property, assaulting the two firefighters, assaulting the two women, damage to personal property and resisting arrest. Duckworth said Clark was also served with an old warrant for failing to appear in court regarding a DWI.
Clark has been placed under a $38,300 bond -- $25,000 for the arson charge, $4,000 for each firefighter assaulted, $2,000 for resisting arrest, $800 for the old warrant and $2,500 for assaulting the two women.
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