Merced woman arrested on suspicion of arson, child endangerment
A 37-year-old woman allegedly tried to kill herself Wednesday by setting her apartment on fire while she was home with her 7-month-old son, Merced police said.
Karen Ann Moore and the child were not injured in the fire at a triplex near South S Street and Home Avenue, police said. Moore was arrested on suspicion of arson and felony child abuse.
Police and firefighters were called to the scene around 12:39 a.m. Wednesday. Authorities arrived to find smoke billowing from the inside of the apartment, and Moore outside with her son, who was in a stroller.
“Moore admitted to starting the fire, stating that she wanted to kill herself,” police said in a statement.
She was booked into the John Latorraca Correctional Facility with her bail set at $237,000. She remained in custody Wednesday afternoon.
The child was turned over to his father, Ira Breazell, who police said was at work at the time of the fire.
The fire caused several other residents of the complex to be displaced, police said, and the Red Cross was called in to assist the victims. A damage estimate was not immediately available.
Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call the Merced Police Department Detectives Division at 209-385-4702 or the tip line at 209 385-4725. Citizens can text a tip to 847411 by using “comvip” as the first word in the text message.
This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Merced woman arrested on suspicion of arson, child endangerment."