Pocatello man charged after allegedly attempting to start a fire inside a home

POCATELLO — A man constabulary opportunity was attempting to commencement a occurrence wrong a location has been charged pinch a felony.

Christofer Taylor Knowlton, 28, faces 1 count of first-degree arson, tribunal records show.

Pocatello constabulary officers responded to reports of a location connected Topence Drive filling pinch fume connected June 21, according to an affidavit of probable cause. A caller told dispatchers location were nary visible flames.

Upon presence astatine nan home, officers said pinch a resident who told them Knowlton was still wrong nan home. She said Knowlton told her nan fume “isn’t thing to interest about,” nan affidavit says. Officers confirmed that each different residents had been evacuated.

Officers entered nan location and went into nan basement, wherever nan witnesser said Knowlton would be.

The stairway to nan basement, nan affidavit says, was “hazy pinch fume and had a beardown smell that did not lucifer cigaret aliases baccy smoke.”

Officers knocked connected 1 of nan chamber doors successful nan basement and Knowlton opened nan door. The room was filled pinch a “thicker, darker smoke” than what was outside. After opening nan door, Knowlton turned astir to locomotion backmost into nan room, but officers grabbed him by nan limb and “escorted him” retired of nan home.

Inside nan room, officers saw burnt insubstantial surrounded by “flammable items” for illustration apparel and furniture. The insubstantial was smoking but did not look to beryllium “actively burning” nan affidavit says.

Knowlton was taken to Bannock County Jail, wherever he was booked and is being held connected a $50,000 bond.

Though Knowlton has been charged pinch these crimes, it does not needfully mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed guiltless until they are proven guilty.

If he is recovered guilty, Knowlton would look up to 25 years successful prison.

He is scheduled to look successful tribunal for a preliminary proceeding earlier Magistrate Judge Aaron Thompson Monday afternoon.