A man told investigators he set fire to his mother's house because she told him to get a job if he wanted to stay there, according to an investigator. Bond was set at $20,000 for Ricardo A. Nance Jr., 31, who was booked late Friday on one count of arson.
His mother, Christina Ross, told investigators she was next door at her daughter's when the fire broke out at her home about 9 p.m. Friday, according to arson investigator David Hill.
Nance had been listening to music but came over and beat on her daughter's door, Ross told investigators. She saw that her house was on fire, asked Nance what he had done, and he ran, Hill said.
The house, valued at more than $50,000, was a total loss, Hill said.
Hill said Nance eventually returned and said that he had used a cigarette lighter to set fire to the living room couch because he was angry with his mother about her demand that he get a job.