Police say house fire on South Solano set deliberately, one woman arrested
LAS CRUCES - Police arrested a woman and accused her of setting her house on fire after a blaze torched a Las Cruces house Tuesday night.
Mariah Whigham, 38, was arrested on May 24 and charged with arson after firefighters battled a blaze on the 2200 block of South Solano Avenue.
According to an affidavit, firefighters arrived just after 7 p.m. at a lot on South Solano Avenue with two houses. Police said that Whigham and her mother lived on the lot's front property, where the fire occurred, while another family lives in the unconnected casita behind Whigham.
Once firefighters had the blaze under control, a neighbor approached to say that he'd seen Whigham start the fire. He said that he had watched Whigham pour a liquid that resembled kerosene near one of the casita's doors.
Another neighbor said that he asked Whigham why she set the house on fire as it was burning. The neighbor told the police that Whigham said she set the fire because she was mad at someone. The neighbor told the police that he recorded the conversation.
After talking with neighbors, fire investigators confronted Whigham with a hydrocarbon detector, which detects the presence of combustible gases. The fire inspector said that his instrument maxed out when reading for combustible gases on Whigham.
Later, police said that the property's owner — also Whigham's landlord — told investigators that he was planning on evicting Whigham and her mother. He said they were behind on their rent and had damaged the property.
Whigham is being held in the Doña Ana County Detention Center as of the publication of this article. She is scheduled for a hearing in the Doña Ana Magistrate Court Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors also filed a motion of pretrial detention, requesting a judge confine Whigham to jail before a court can decide if she is guilty of arson. For a judge to force Whigham to remain jailed, prosecutors have to prove that Whigham is dangerous and that no conditions of release can reasonably assure the public's safety.
That hearing has not yet been scheduled but will most likely take place within the next three business days.
More news from Doña Ana County
New Mexico State athletics adds to deficit; AD outlines why FY22 was an outlier
Five special guests announced ahead of August Las Cruces Comic Con
Justin Garcia covers crime, courts, public safety, and politics in Doña Ana County. They can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Police say house fire on South Solano set deliberately, one woman arrested
