Homeless Man Arrested For ArsonA homeless man was arrested for arson and criminal mischief after allegedly making a fire at a newly constructed building to keep warm.
Randy Walgamuth, 61, is charged with arson, a Level 5 felony; and criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor. He was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 8:47 a.m Tuesday with a $5,250 bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at approximately 8:06 a.m. Tuesday, Warsaw police responded to a call in reference to a man – later identified as Walgamuth – setting a fire inside a newly constructed building.
Upon arrival, police saw Walgamuth inside the building tending to a 3-foot diameter hole in the floor, which appeared to be caused by a fire, according to court documents. Walgamuth was moving things away from the burned area when police arrived.
Walgamuth told police he was asked to come over to the building site and clean up. He was to be paid $3 for his labor. Walgamuth said he arrived at the building the day before and worked through the night. He said he got cold and started a fire inside the building to stay warm.
Police saw a piece of board on the bare flooring on the first level of the building. The board is where the fire appeared to have originated, according to court documents. Walgamuth said he was burning pieces of lumber and he used construction materials to feed the fire. He also said he couldn’t have the fire outside because everything was wet due to the rain.
Police asked Walgamuth how much he had been drinking. Walgamuth denied drinking. Later, he submitted to a preliminary breath test which came back with a .146 blood alcohol content, according to court documents.
Police spoke to the man Walgamuth said had asked him to clean the site. The man said he hadn’t asked Walgamuth to clean the site. The man said he arrived at the site to find Walgamuth sleeping on the first floor next to a smoldering hole in the first floor. The man said Walgamuth was wrapped up in some plastic, and when workers arrived at the site, Walgamuth began moving around.
Police saw two burned 2-by-10 boards in the building which appeared to be damaged by fire. The man said the boards were 16 feet long and appeared to have a few feet missing from them.
While being processed at the KCJ, police found a bottle of lighter fluid in Walgamuth’s backpack.
