Lubbock man indicted for arson; burns structure with family member inside

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A grand jury indicted 37-year-old Jessie James Arcos for arson Tuesday, after a late July incident where Arcos is accused of setting fire to a structure with a family member still inside.

On August 5, investigators went to the 1100 block of 65 street to visit with the property owner. The owner stated on July 28, her neighbor woke her up to tell her of a fire in her backyard.

The police report says she told them her son was living in the structure in her backyard. Fire was surrounding the structure as she tried to wake up her son.

He came outside and used a water hose to put out the fire.

The property owner said Arcos had recently got out of jail and came by, but she didn’t want him coming to her home anymore. According to the report, she said her neighbor saw a car matching Arcos’ vehicle description leaving the scene when they discovered the fire.

The report says Arcos’ father lives in San Antonio, but received a call from Arcos who said he was going to burn the structure where his family member slept. His father said he tried to talk sense into him, but he wasn’t listening, the report states.

His father stated two hours later he was notified that the structure was on fire. The report says Arcos told his father he was in the hospital with burns from working on a lawnmower, but his father said his story did not make sense.

Investigators went to the burn unit at UMC and confirmed with the charge nurse that Arcos was admitted.

Arcos has been in the Lubbock County Detention Center since August 5, where he remains on $100,000 bond.

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