Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
HICKORY, La. (WGNO) — A man was arrested on the North Shore Friday afternoon after detectives say he set fire to a home with his elderly grandmother inside.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office says 38-year-old Nickolas Lee Barringer was taken into custody on an aggravated arson charge.
Around 3:15 p.m. Friday, authorities were called to a home in the Hickory area for a report of a residential fire.
Detectives believe the fire stemmed from an argument that ended with Barringer texting his grandmother, threatening to burn the house down. We’re told the woman escaped to a neighbor’s home as the fire spread through the house.
Photos: North Shore fire under investigation after man reportedly sets fire to grandmother’s home while she was inside
Photos captured by the St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 11. show firefighters battling a one-story home as smoke billowed from the structure. Officials say the fire was quickly brought under control and no one was injured.
Harringer was arrested later on Friday evening and was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center. Along with the aggravated arson charge, he faces an additional charge of telephone harassment.
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