Man Charged With Setting Fire To Elkridge Motel Room
ELKRIDGE (AP) -- A man has been charged with setting fire to a woman's room at an Elkridge motel.
Howard County police say 48-year-old Barry Lee Murphy started a fire at the White Elk Motel on Monday in the room of a female acquaintance he had argued with earlier.
An officer called to the room for a trespassing complaint found smoke and firefighters were called to extinguish the fire. Police say Murphy took some of the woman's belongings before starting the fire.
Officers later found Murphy in a wooded area that he was known to frequent.
Murphy is charged first-degree arson, second-degree burglary and other offenses in the incident at the motel. He was also charged with second-degree assault in the dispute earlier in the day.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)