Staff Report
PIERCETON — A Pierceton man was arrested on an arson charge.
Zenal Abdeen Ibrahim Al Soudani, 27, 3020 E. Wooster Road, Pierceton, is charged with arson resulting in bodily injury, a level 3 felony; and resisting law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor.
On March 22, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of a fire at a Pierceton residence. Winona Lake and Warsaw officers at the scene said the homeowner was able to extinguish the fire.
According to court documents, the homeowner said Al Soudani set a fire inside the residence prior to officers’ arrival. The owner told officers he didn’t know why Al Soudani set the fire, but said Al Soudani had been arguing with a woman in the home all day.
While speaking with the owner, the deputy noticed what appeared to be a second-degree burn on the owner’s ring finger. The injury was caused while the owner was trying to extinguish the fire.
The woman told the deputy she and Al Soudani had a verbal argument. After the argument, the woman saw Al Soudani balling up toilet paper and putting it in a hole in a bedroom wall. When the woman returned to the bedroom at a later point in time, she noticed the hole was on fire.
She told officers she believed Al Soudani set the fire in anger. The burn hole in the wall was about 20 inches in diameter.
When asked about how the fire in the bedroom started, Al Soudani allegedly told officers to ask the woman about it.
Al Soudani attempted to pull away from officers and physically resist being placed in handcuffs while being taken into custody. Officers found three lighters on Al Soudani’s person.
Al Soudani has already been arrested and released on bond.
