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OGDEN — A man charged Monday in connection to a fire that destroyed an old car dealership earlier this month had been in an argument with a transient man squatting in the building minutes before the fire started, according to charging documents.
Reginald Allen Frierson, 48, appeared in Second District Court Tuesday where he was charged with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony. He was arrested Friday, according to Ogden police.
On April 13, Ogden fire crews responded to a large fire at an abandoned R.J. Wrigley's Auto showroom located at 3350 S. Wall Ave. The building was a complete loss after the blaze.
The building had been occupied by a transient man who had been living there for about seven months, according to charging documents.
On April 13, the transient man was there with a woman when a man known as “Allen” entered. At some point, the transient man and Allen got into an argument when Allen left while saying “Oh, I got something for you,” according to the document.
The report stated the fire started about five minutes after that incident. The two people inside the abandoned building at the time suffered minor smoke inhalation but were able to escape.
Related:
Authorities investigating what sparked Ogden fire that gutted dealership
Police continued to investigate a fire April 13 in Ogden.A man believed to be Frierson was seen on video surveillance footage from surrounding businesses heading to the abandoned dealership with a white grocery bag. Minutes later, the man was observed leaving the building area. The man then went back to the building and was “doing something at a basement bathroom window” before returning to the sidewalk.
The report stated the man then contacted another man washing cars at a nearby dealership and told him there was a fire at the abandoned building.
Wednesday, Frierson was spotted on surveillance footage at the Lantern House homeless shelter wearing the same clothing he had been wearing when he was seen on the convenience store surveillance footage after the fire. He was arrested two days later, the document said.
According to court records, Frierson’s only other criminal history in Utah were two minor infractions in Salt Lake County in 2016.
