An Arkansas 21-year-old was arrested Thursday after he set fire to his in-laws' house to cover up his thefts, then reported it to law enforcement as if he just discovered the blaze, police said.
Around 1:15 p.m. Sunday, first responders were called to a house on fire in the 3200 block of U.S. 62 East in Mountain Home, according to a Baxter County sheriff's office news release.
The blaze was extinguished before the home was a total loss. No one was injured, though a cat died in the blaze, the release said.
The sheriff's office then determined the fire was set on purpose, the release said. Three forged checks were recovered that belonged to the homeowners, which helped authorities identify 21-year-old Mitchell Dylan Teconchuk as a suspect, the release said.
Teconchuk, the homeowners' son-in-law, was interviewed twice before he admitted to arson, the release said.
Authorities believe Teconchuk knew the homeowners were out of town that day and set the house on fire to cover up that he had stolen items from the residence, the release said.
The 21-year-old then drove home, picked up his wife and drove back to the house to make it appear as though they had discovered the fire, the release said. Teconchuk then told his wife to call 911.
He faces charges of arson, residential burglary, filing a false report, three counts of forgery and three counts of theft of property. He is also being held on a probation violation from previous felony convictions.
Teconchuk is currently being held at the Baxter County jail in lieu of a $150,000 bond.
A court date is scheduled for June 29.
