Man Charged With Arson Allegedly Watched Fire

Newly-released documents concerning this past weekend's suspected arsonist allege the man sat in the bed of his pickup watching the blaze after starting the fire at the Hunters Glen Apartments while drunk early Saturday morning.

Sadat Ivan Munoz, 29, remains in custody on a $50,000 bond for a second-degree felony charge of arson and a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.

A witness told investigating officers the man sitting in his truck across the street watching the blaze, later identified as Munoz, was circling the apartment shortly before the fire. When officers approached the man, they said he was emitting a "strong odor of a chemical that was possibly a flammable liquid," according to Munoz's arrest report.

Munoz was allegedly a friend of the victim whose apartment he allegedly set on fire. Midland police officers found a lighter and an "item that had been soaked in a flammable liquid," the report continued.

Fire Investigator James Howard found the presence of an accerlant on the carpet in the dining room using a combustible gas detector . The blaze was quickly extinguished and only affected a small area. No other residents in the building were effected by the fire, but the two adult victims were displaced.

Munoz was transported to the Midland County Central Detention Center for the second-degree felony where he remains, as of press time Tuesday, on a $50,000 bond. If convicted, he could serve up to 20 years in prison.

Copyright 2012 - Midland Reporter-Telegram, Texas

McClatchy-Tribune News Service