93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
A Columbia woman charged with arson for this month’s blaze at a self-storage complex on Nebraska Avenue near I-70 will be arraigned at 1 this afternoon.
Boone County prosecutors have charged 44-year-old Dionne Denise Houston with second degree arson, which is a class D felony. Her bond is set at $10,000.
The Columbia Police Department’s redacted three-page probable cause statement says Houston was allegedly observed on a security camera footage entering and exiting a unit at the storage facility several times throughout the night of December 12 and was also seen at 5:12 on the morning of December 12 walking away from the unit carrying two bags, with the storage unit “visibly engulfed in flames.” The court documents show that an officer spoke with a woman at 5:18 that morning who identified herself as Dionne Houston, as the woman was walking away from the source of the fire. The person’s clothing matches that the clothing of the woman at the storage scene, according to court documents. Houston allegedly told the officer that she was coming from the Phillps 66 on Rangeline.
The court documents say Houston has been arrested for prostitution, passing bad checks, property damage and for driving while revoked in the past. Damage from the December 12 blaze is estimated at $100,000.
