A 19-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated arson for setting a fire Thursday on the front porch of a home on the city’s South Side.
A media release from the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office said Akendra Metts was released on GPS monitoring Friday after a judge denied prosecutors’ request for pretrial detention.
Peoria police and fire department personnel responded to the 1800 block of West Howett Street shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday. They found the small fire on the porch of the residence. Crews were able to contain and extinguish the blaze quickly.
Three people were in the house a the time, and all of them were able to evacuate without injury.
Metts was apprehended in less than an hour after she returned to the scene and was taken into custody. Police searched her vehicle and found lighters and lighter fluid inside.
According to the state’s attorney’s office, a witness told officers a woman later identified as Metts poured gasoline on the porch and lit the fire before driving away.
Prosecutors say Metts confessed to setting the fire during a police interview.
