Man tried setting makeshift shelter on fire, trapping 3, charges say

MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE, Weber County — Police say a homeless man trapped three people in a makeshift dwelling and set it on fire because he believed his wife was cheating on him.

Dustin Howard Smith, 41, was charged Thursday in 2nd District Court with attempted aggravated arson and three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree felonies; plus three counts of aggravated kidnapping and use of a firearm by a restricted person, third-degree felonies. Court records note that one count of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated kidnapping are domestic-violence related.

Officers responded on Wednesday to a weapons disturbance complaint among people experiencing homelessness at 1365 S. 1900 West in Marriott-Slaterville, where they found a makeshift dwelling inside of a bridge.

The man who called police said Smith's wife had been staying with him recently and Smith had accused him of sleeping with her. He, Smith's wife and another woman were in the makeshift home when they said they began smelling gasoline, the charging documents state.

The man said he saw a flame from a lighter or torch near the hatch door to the dwelling, but when he tried opening it, the door was locked or sealed from the outside. Then he heard Smith requesting that his wife exit and speak with him, the charges state. The man had to break the door down with an ax, he told police.

Once Smith's wife had exited to speak with him, the man said Smith threatened him by saying, "If you come down here, I will put a plug in you," according to the charges. The man told police that Smith is known to carry a revolver and has threatened him with it in the past. He also said someone tried burning down the makeshift shelter about a month earlier.

While on the scene, police recovered a revolver that they said matched the descriptions given by witnesses. They also saw Smith holding a silver butane torch, and recovered gloves he wore that smelled strongly of gasoline, the charges allege. Burn marks were later discovered near the makeshift home's opening and the area was soaked in gasoline.

Smith was being held without bail. "This incident was fueled by a domestic violence argument. The female victim states he would try to kill her if he got released," the charging documents say.

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