Crime & Safety

Columbia Man Pleads Guilty to Setting Fire After Assaulting Wife

The man set two fires inside his apartment, screamed obscenities at responding officers and fled the scene at the time of the incident, according to a state's attorney's spokesperson.


A Columbia man pleaded guilty to setting a fire in his Harper's Choice apartment building in April after assaulting his wife during a fight in April.

Alejandro Adolfo Rodriguez, 25, of the 5400 block of Harper's Farm Road, caused over $500,000 in damages to the apartment building in the two-alarm fire he set after hitting his wife on April 5, according to Wayne Kirwan, a spokesperson for the Howard County state's attorney's office.

Rodriguez screamed obscenities at responding officers from a window, then fled the building after setting the fire, as firefighters worked to evacuate the building, according to Kirwan.

He was later arrested while walking along the 5400 block of Eliots Oak Rd.

Fire investigators found two different fires, both deliberately set, inside the apartment, according to Kirwan. Police found a white lighter and book of matches outside the apartment and Rodriguez later confirmed he owned a white lighter, according to Kirwan.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and second-degree assault at Howard County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Judge Lenore Gelfman ordered a substance abuse and psychological evaluation on Rodriguez before his sentencing date on Oct. 15. The state is recommending a sentence of 10 years, with all but 18 months suspended, according to Kirwan.


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