2 Suspicious Fires Break Out in less Than 3 Hours, Indiana Woman is Arrested

Firefighters in Indiana had barely finished dealing with one suspicious house fire when another broke out just over two hours later. Police eventually connected the two properties, developed a suspect, and then received a call from the woman they were already searching for.

Columbus police and firefighters were first dispatched to a home in the 1300 block of 10th Street at approximately 9:30 p.m. Officers arrived to find a truck burning on the property while flames were also coming from a window of the house.

Police officers used a fire extinguisher to put out most of the fire in the truck before the Columbus Fire Department arrived and extinguished both fires. Authorities said officers and firefighters smelled gasoline at the scene and believed the fires had been intentionally set, although nobody was inside the home at the time.

Detectives and fire inspectors began processing the property and collecting evidence, but their night was far from over. At approximately 11:45 p.m., another structure fire was reported in the 5400 block of South Jonesville Road, sending multiple first responders racing to another burning property.

Investigators Connect Two Fires Through Property Owner

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Investigators from several agencies worked together after the second fire, including Columbus police and firefighters, the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, and the county fire inspector. Authorities said they developed a suspect and came to believe the two fires were connected after learning the owner of the 10th Street home had previously owned the Jonesville Road property.

The damage between the two scenes was considerable, with fire inspectors initially estimating approximately $20,000 in damage to the 10th Street home. The Jonesville Road property sustained an estimated $125,000 in damage, bringing the preliminary total between the two homes to approximately $145,000.

Despite the burning truck, two structure fires, and extensive property damage, authorities said nobody was injured. Police did not provide a possible motive for the fires or explain what relationship, if any, the suspect had with the properties or their owner.

Suspect Calls Dispatch While Police Are Searching for Her

While investigators continued following up on the case and searching for their suspect, police say the woman they were looking for called the dispatch center herself at approximately 5:30 a.m. Authorities subsequently located 35-year-old Columbus resident Ashley Star Perez at a downtown restaurant and took her into custody.

Perez was arrested on two preliminary counts of arson, each described by police as a Level 4 felony. Bartholomew County custody records show she was booked into the county jail at approximately 10:17 a.m. on September 11.

A custody update from approximately 11:09 a.m. that same day listed Perez as still being held at the Bartholomew County Jail. The charges against Perez remain accusations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.