BURNET, Texas, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A former girlfriend of a sheriff's deputy in Texas set fire to his home in an attempt to reunite with him, police allege.
Police in Burnet County charged emergency dispatcher Kristen Gilliam, 34, with arson in a recent fire that gutted the home of Scott Keese, 34, The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman said Friday
Four law enforcement officers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation after the Aug. 16 fire.
Burnet Fire Marshal John Paul Erskine said it appeared the fire was started by someone igniting the foam cushions of a couch in Keese's home.
Following a two-week investigation, Gilliam was arrested on third-degree felony arson charges.
Gilliam came under suspicion after an unidentified sheriff's office worker alleged she said the day of the fire that she wanted a bad incident to take place that would reunite her with Keese.
Burnet County Sheriff W.T. Smith could not confirm if Gilliam, who was released on $5,000 bail, was still working as a dispatcher.
"I would say that probably your credibility would be somewhat in question if you had been accused of a felony," Smith told the American-Statesman.
