An Owensboro man was charged with first-degree arson Thursday after allegedly trying to set his residence on fire in the 1200 block of W. 15th St. The incident occurred around 8:19 p.m. and the suspect was arrested by Owensboro Police Department about 30 minutes later.
According to a citation from OPD, Joseph P. Stamper was charged with arson after officers responded to a call that involved Stamper placing items in a stove and attempting to burn down his residence.
“Officers arrived to observe the interior of the residence to be filled with smoke and the stove to be engulfed in flames,” the citation states. “Officers observed Stamper inside the residence and his caretaker, Cathy Wilson, exiting the residence due to the smoke.”
The citation describes officers removing Stamper from the residence and allowing Owensboro Fire Department to extinguish the flames.
Stamper then became angry and began destroying items inside the home, including the bathroom sink.
Wilson told police she saw Stamper place “several paper towels and books” inside the oven before igniting the flame.
According to the citation, Stamper told OPD he “was having a bad day, but did not feel suicidal.”
Stamper confessed to police that he’d placed several items inside the stove and intentionally attempted to burn down the residence. The citation said the investigating officer recorded the statements from both subjects using the dash camera audio.
