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MILLCREEK — An arrest warrant has been issued for a woman accused of lighting a rack of clothes on fire inside a thrift store.
Jolene Velarde, 51, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony.
Police say Velarde was recorded on store surveillance video inside a Savers store in Salt Lake County on Aug. 27 pushing a cart full of clothes around the store.
"She stops at one rack, places her hands in the clothing hung from the rack, then pushes the cart toward the exit. As she walks away from that rack, smoke starts billowing from the same area the woman placed her hands and then fire becomes visible," according to charging documents. "As this occurs, the woman abandons the cart and leaves the store."
Using a screen shot from the surveillance video, prosecutors say "facial recognition through the state database" helped investigators come up with a possible identity. They then pulled a copy of Velarde's driver's license photo and positively identified her as the suspect, according to the charges.
"She set a fire in a large rack of clothing. But for the quick response of the store employees, this fire could have rapidly spread throughout the store, endangering the lives of employees and patrons not only of Savers, but of surrounding businesses, the residents of the adjoining neighborhood and first responders," the charging documents say.
