OGDEN, Utah, Aug. 15, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 64-year-old Ogden man was booked into the Weber County jail Monday after police say he admitted to lighting his neighbor’s car on fire.
At about 5 p.m. Monday, Ogden City Police responded to an apartment in a building in the general area of 2600 Adams Ave.
“The resident of this apartment, Mark (Allen) Powell, was witnessed by several people smashing the window of a neighbor’s car with a hammer, then dowsing it in lighter fluid and igniting it,” Powell’s court documents say. “When I arrived, I was directed to his apartment by witnesses on scene. His door was open and I observed him sitting in a chair inside.”
As Powell spoke, “he slurred his speech and I observed several empty alcoholic beverage containers on the ground near his feet,” the affidavit says.
“I observed a bottle of lighter fluid and a hammer on his table inside his apartment. He made several excited utterances that confirmed he was the offender, such as ‘I torched (the) car,’ among other statements. I arrested him and escorted him to my car.”
The car’s owner told officers Powell “had been banging on his door threatening to beat him up and challenging him to fight for days,” the police statement says.
“The burning car was very near to a structure only approximately 10 to 15 feet away. Mark also attempted to ignite his truck. I observed liquid on the inside and outside of the truck when I initially arrived. Mark also stated as I was putting him in my car that he tried to burn his truck, too, however it did not ignite.”
Powell was booked into jail for investigation of:
- Arson, property of another, with damages of $1,500 to $4,999, a third-degree felony
- Criminal mischief with damages of $1,500 to $4,999, a third-degree felony
- Reckless burning, failure to control fire or give prompt alarm, a class A misdemeanor
- Stalking, a class A misdemeanor
- Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor
Powell was ordered to be held without bail.
