- Tyson Dean Hopkins, 38, was charged Monday with setting fire to his Cedar City home.
- Police reported finding evidence suggesting the fire was intentionally set, contradicting Hopkins' initial claims.
- Surveillance footage showed Hopkins buying fuel, leading to his admission of arson, investigators say.
CEDAR CITY — A Cedar City man was charged Monday with burning down his own home Sunday.
Tyson Dean Hopkins, 38, was booked into the Iron County Jail and charged on Monday in 5th District Court with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony.
Officers and firefighters responded to a report of a house fire about 1 a.m. "Upon arrival, police and fire crews found a home fully engulfed. Upon further investigation, evidence at the scene indicated that the fire could have been intentionally set," Cedar City police said.
The burned property was a double-wide manufactured home that was Hopkins' residence.
Hopkins, who was not home at the time, told investigators he was at a gas station when he was told about the fire. Once he arrived at the scene, "Tyson made statements to the firefighters … along the lines of, 'I wish you guys would just let it burn' and asked about their procedure and policy for preservation of evidence. He was also very eager to leave the scene," according to a police booking affidavit.
Hopkins claimed he hadn't been home in a couple of days, but a neighbor stated that he had been in and out all day, according to the affidavit.
Hopkins was further questioned and provided police with a timeline of his activities for that day. But investigators say that after reviewing surveillance-camera footage, "I was able to disprove his timeline," an officer said in the arrest report.
Hopkins also claimed he went to a gas station to buy cigarettes.
"When we checked this store, officers discovered video footage of Tyson purchasing two red fuel cans and fuel to fill them. He left, then returned a short while later and purchased more fuel for the cans," according to the affidavit.
After being confronted with the video of him buying gas, Hopkins "stated he had lied to me," the officer wrote. "He then admitted to buying the fuel and taking it back to the home to light the home on fire with a pallet. The fire initially didn't stay lit, so he went back to get more fuel and used it to light the fire again with windows open for air flow."
