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CLEARFIELD — A Clearfield man who told police he was having second thoughts about his girlfriend moving into his trailer with him was charged Tuesday with setting fire to his home.
Jordan James Berghout, 29, was charged Tuesday in 2nd District Court with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony.
According to charging documents, on April 25, Clearfield firefighters were called to a mobile home fire near 400 North and 1300 West. When questioned by police, Berghout told them "he knew exactly how the fire started, explaining that he had started the fire," according to the charges.
Berghout said his girlfriend was planning on moving in, but "things with her had not been going well lately," the charges stated. So he figured "that if he burned down his house, he would no longer have to worry about his girlfriend moving into the home."
Prosecutors say Berghout "sprayed (the) drapes with automotive cleaner and lit them on fire. The fire caused significant damage to his residence as well as the residence next to his trailer."
The residence next to Berghout's trailer was occupied by a family of four, according to a police affidavit.
Berghout also told police he was addicted to meth and "admitted that he hears voices, and the voices have previously told him to physically harm himself or others," the affidavit states.
