Roxbury door burned ruled arson
A 71-year-old Brockton man charged with arson is accused of lighting a Roxbury apartment door on fire after a woman refused to let him in, according to police.
Stanley Williams has been charged with arson of a dwelling and malicious destruction of property over $1,200.
Boston police officers on Jan. 13 responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment building on Seaver Street in Roxbury. Upon arrival, officers reported that they noticed burn marks on the apartment unit’s entrance door, as well as burn marks on the door mat. Officers also noticed smoke in the building and water on the floor around the mat.
The resident of the apartment told police that Williams, a man known to her, had entered the building and continually banged on her door. She refused to let him in.
When the banging stopped, the woman said she opened the door and noticed that the door, along with the mat, was on fire. The woman poured water on the door and mat to extinguish the flames.
Police then obtained an arrest warrant for Williams, and he was arrested on Monday.
“It isn’t difficult to imagine the potential consequences here if the victim hadn’t acted quickly to douse the flames before they grew out of control,” Suffolk DA
Kevin Hayden said. “Instead of simply walking away from a situation where he wasn’t welcomed, this man made things much worse for himself and created a potential for a far more tragic outcome.”
In court, Suffolk DA prosecutors requested that Williams be held in lieu of $250 bail. The judge released Williams on personal recognizance and ordered him to return to court on Feb. 24 for a pre-trial conference.