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.

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