Arson attempt thwarted by a neighbor in Evansville

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — A suspect is in custody after an attempted arson in Evansville. Police say a neighbor was able to contact authorities before the incident escalated further.

According to police records, officers responded to a suspicious circumstances call in the 1600 block of Shadewood Avenue where the suspect, Roy Blackmon, was allegedly trying to pour gasoline around a residence to light it on fire.

The resident says Blackmon approached her home claiming she had his ID. However the resident says she did not know Blackmon. That's when she says Blackmon began striking windows throughout the exterior of the home with a baseball bat and threatened to kill her.

Authorities say they found the baseball bat in the yard with a rag wrapped around the end of it which smelled like liquor had been poured on it.

Police say the reporter, who also lived on the 1600 block of Shadewood, knew Blackmon "very well" and he had came by their home asking for a lighter for a make-shift torch. The reporters say Blackmon also opened a car door that apparently did not belong to him to look for a lighter.

It is said Blackmon has a lifetime bar/ban for the reporter's residence which was filed in 2015.

Police say they eventually found Blackmon in a yard in the 800 block of Covert Avenue where he was taken into custody.

Blackmon has been charged with the following:

He is currently booked at the Vanderburgh County Jail.