Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Chantelle Desiree Jones, 45, appeared in a Utah courtroom on her arson charge.
- Jones is accused of setting fire to a leased Eagle Mountain home, causing up to $500,000 in damage.
- She was arrested in Arizona, and faces multiple felony charges.
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A woman accused of setting fire to an Eagle Mountain home she was leasing and causing extensive damage, made her initial appearance in a Utah courtroom Wednesday after being on the run for six months.
Chantelle Desiree Jones, 45, is charged in 4th District Court with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. A no-bail arrest warrant was issued for her in October.
A fire was reported at 3873 E. South Pass Cove in Eagle Mountain on Aug. 28.
"The home was extensively damaged by fire, causing an estimated $300,000-$500,000 in damage," according to charging documents.
Investigators from the Unified Fire Authority, the insurance company and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concluded that the fire had been intentionally set, the charges state.
At the time of the fire, the home was being leased to Jones and her husband. The homeowners, however, opted not to renew Jones' lease. The Joneses were supposed to be out of the house by Aug. 28. A doorbell camera recorded Jones leaving the residence between 3:12 a.m. and 4:12 a.m. that day. The house's exterior lights went off sometime between 4:12 a.m. and 4:54 a.m., which is the same time the fire is believed to have started, according to investigators.
Jones went to the Salt Lake City International Airport on Sept. 24, "where she rented a vehicle and fled to Nevada, leaving her family behind," the charges allege. When the vehicle was not returned in time, the rental company listed it as stolen. She was charged in 3rd District Court on Oct. 9 with theft of a rental vehicle, a second-degree felony. She was charged in connection with the arson on Oct. 29.
Jones was charged in January with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in federal court. The charge was filed under seal while U.S. marshals looked for her. Jones was located in Arizona in early April, taken into custody and extradited to Utah. According to court records, the two arrest warrants issued for Jones in Utah were recalled on April 7. An initial hearing for her rental car theft case was held on April 9.
Then, on April 17, she was transferred to the Utah County Jail, and her initial court appearance for her arson case was held on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing for that case is now scheduled for May 9.
Jones is also involved in a federal civil lawsuit against the Saratoga Springs Police Department, claiming she was sexually harassed by a Saratoga Springs police officer and was run out of town by his department and city leaders who tried to cover up for his actions. Jones' attorneys in that case have requested a stay in the proceedings while their client addresses her criminal charges.
Saratoga Springs police have asked the judge to deny the motion to put her civil case on hold.
"She chose to bring the case, and as such, she has a duty to timely prosecute it. The fact that she is being criminally prosecuted for acts unrelated to this case does not entitle her to make (Saratoga Springs) wait until it is more convenient for (her) to pursue her case. Mere inconvenience to her or her counsel is not grounds for granting the relief requested," the city replied in court documents.
A decision on whether to grant a stay in her civil proceedings was still pending on Thursday.
