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CLEARFIELD — Police say a Clearfield man's apartment was set on fire by a woman he met through an online dating service.
Krisa Faye Harper, 26, of Salt Lake City, was charged Aug. 19 with first-degree felony aggravated arson and second-degree felony burglary in connection with the incident. She was arrested and booked into Davis County Jail on Wednesday.
Police say Harper and the man went on several dates before he invited her to his apartment. The man said he and Harper left the apartment at the same time the morning of March 18, and he watched her get into her car and drive away before he left to take his daughter to school, according to charging documents.
He returned 10 minutes later to find his apartment on fire, and firefighters already were on scene, the charges state.
Police found a gas can in the apartment, and search dogs confirmed the use on an accelerant, according to the charges.
The man told police he believed the woman he met online had set his house on fire and stole from him, charges state. Police at first thought the man's story was "far-fetched" because he couldn't remember her last name, Clearfield Assistant Police Chief Mike Stenquist said.
Detectives began investigating the victim as a suspect, but police said they changed gears when the man identified Harper as the woman he had dated. Police say the man saw her picture on the news in connection with a Salt Lake arson committed in February.
"There were similarities (in the cases) that strengthened our belief that it was her," Stenquist said.
Police said it was easy to locate Harper because she was in the Salt Lake County Jail at the time.
According to charging documents, Harper later told police she set the apartment on fire to hide her burglary. She said she stole necklaces, a safe, two tablets, and a ring the day of the arson, as well as several more items the day after the arson, charges state.
Harper has a history of arson-related crimes. She was charged with two aggravated arson felonies on May 26. One was for allegedly starting two fires at her workplace, Steiner Education Group, 312 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, on Feb. 22.
Police say Harper shoved a burning notepad under the door to a co-worker's office and poured an igniting liquid around a power-strip in the basement to make the fire look incidental. She later told police she started the fire to cover her low work statistics, charges state.
In the same interview, Harper admitted to setting fire to her home at 1134 Taffetta Drive, Salt Lake City, in August 2014 by pouring nail polish remover on a mattress and setting it aflame with a lighter. Prior to the confession, police attributed the fire to Harper's 4-year-old son, according to court documents.
Harper was transferred to the Davis County Jail on Wednesday after finishing her time at the Salt Lake County Jail.
Contributing: Mike Anderson
Tori Jorgensen is a Deseret News intern and current communications major at Southern Utah University. Find her on Twitter @TORIAjorgensen Email: vjorgensen@deseretnews.com
