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WEST JORDAN — A man police believe made Molotov cocktails and then set a house on fire while his grandparents were still inside now faces numerous charges.
Preston Maurice Castleberry, 22, of West Jordan, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with aggravated arson and eight counts of using an explosive or incendiary device, first-degree felonies; and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony.
On Oct. 14, about 4:30 a.m., emergency crews responded to a large basement fire at a house near 7100 South and 2400 West. The homeowners, who got out safely, told firefighters that "they woke up to the sound of fire crackling and what sounded like boiling liquids," according to charging documents. In the hallway, in front of their bedrooms — which investigators say was the only exit from their rooms — was a box containing bottles of unknown liquids and the box was on fire, the charges state.
The couple crawled down the hallway and had to push the burning box out of the way to escape, investigators say.
After fire crews searched for Castleberry and determined he was not trapped in the basement, his grandparents said he had been "acting strange" lately and had been very isolated, the charges state.
"Fire personnel observed a notepad in the basement where Castleberry resided with statements that he was not crazy and there were demons in his head," according to charging documents.
After the fire was extinguished, a search warrant was obtained and investigators found suspected Molotov cocktails in the box that was burning, "and what appeared to be cloth wicks which were burned, or partially burned, inserted into each bottle," the charges state. Investigators also found several points of origin where the fire started.
Police located Castleberry in Taylorsville and took him into custody. A loaded firearm, THC products, numerous matches and ammunition were found in his backpack, according to the charges. Investigators believe Castleberry was under the influence of drugs when they found him, noting that he "had difficulty staying awake during basic questioning and presented with sluggishness and mumbling, often difficult to understand speech."
Prosecutors have requested that he be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail pending trial.
