A 20-year-old Oxford man was charged with arson after allegedly setting a fire in the basement of an apartment building on Pontiac St.
Christopher Michael Martin was arraigned in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court Friday on one felony count of arson and another felony count of larceny.
He’s currently being held in Oakland County Jail in lieu of posting a $15,000 bond.
Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Park Villa apartment complex at 535 Pontiac Street (across from the Oxford Public Library) shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday, March 8, following a call from Martin’s ex-girlfriend.
Martin allegedly set a fire in one of the apartment building’s basement storage units by spreading an ignitable liquid on the floor and over some combustible materials, according to the sheriff’s report.
Twelve of the 18 apartments in the two-story, wood-frame building are currently occupied, according to the complex manager. A total of 25 residents live there.
Oxford firefighters were called to the scene around 6:17 a.m.
‘It was just smoldering when we got there, so there wasn’t any open flame,? said Fire Chief Jack LeRoy. ‘We put it out with a two-and-a-half gallon water extinguisher.?
LeRoy said there was ‘very minor damage . . . maybe $200-$300 damage total.? The materials burned gave off a ‘light gray smoke that doesn’t leave a permanent odor,? he noted.
Prior to the fire department’s arrival, Martin was found in the basement by sheriff’s deputies and immediately taken into custody
After initially telling investigators he discovered the fire and tried to put it out, the report stated Martin later told them, ‘Yes, I did start the fire. I did it to keep warm and it was an accident.?
According to the report, he burned the letters of his girlfriend’s first name into the concrete floor.
The fire was apparently started inside one of the storage units and caused damage to a second unit.
Martin told investigators ‘the fire spread faster than he thought it would.?
‘I don’t ever want to play with fire again,? he said in the report. ‘I got burned . . .?
Fire medical personnel treated Martin for minor burns to his face and hands. His hands were ‘smoke stained,? according to the report.
Martin ? a registered sex offender convicted of four counts of second-degree (involving a person under 13) Criminal Sexual Conduct in 2004 ? was originally dropped off at Park Villa Apartments by Oxford Village Police after he called his 31-year-old ex-girlfriend from the station around 2 a.m. and asked if he could stay the night.
Oxford Village Police Chief Mike Neymanowski said Martin had been picked up earlier for tampering with a motor vehicle.
‘He opened the car door and the alarm went off and he booked,? he said. ‘The officer tracked his footprints through the snow and caught him hiding somewhere.?
Neymanowski said nothing was stolen and the vehicle owner didn’t wish to press charges.
Village police ‘could have held him until the morning,? but since it was a misdemeanor the officer decided to release him, according to the chief.
Given Martin’s listed address is an apartment at 14 W. Burdick Street, this reporter asked Neymanowski why Martin had to call his ex-girlfriend to spend the night and be driven there by a village officer.
‘Good question,? Neymanowski said. ‘It’s right next door to the police station. We’ll have to follow that up.?
‘I don’t know if the officer confirmed that or not, but that’s his listed address on the sex offender registration list,? the chief noted.
The ex-girlfriend told sheriff’s investigators she did not give Martin permission to come over because she wished to avoid any contact with him.
Sensing Martin would show up anyway and ’cause trouble,? the report stated she left her apartment after securing the door and windows, and stayed at a friend’s house for a few hours.
In the meantime, Martin was dropped off by a village officer. Upon learning his ex-girlfriend wasn’t home, he told investigators ‘it was too late to flag the PD officer down,? so he decided to go inside.
According to the report, Martin ‘forced open the sliding front window, put his torso through the opening and unlocked the front door.?
Once inside, he allegedly took a Nintendo Gameboy belonging to one of his ex-girlfriend’s daughters. It was later found in his pocket by sheriff’s deputies.
Martin then exited the apartment and went downstairs into the storage area.
That’s where the ex-girlfriend told investigators she discovered him two hours later building a fire. The report stated she observed Martin had broken into some storage units and he told her of his plans to sell the stolen items.
Locks for two of the storage units not involved in the fire had been pried off. The broken metal clasp found in Martin’s pocket ‘matched perfectly? with one unit’s broken lock, the report stated.