NEWS MEDIA INFORMATION REPORT
SUBJECT OF RELEASE: Arson Arrest
DATE AND TIME: Saturday, May 11, 2019 at approximately 12:40 A.M.
LOCATION: 1000 block of Colonel Point, Crystal Township
AUTHORITY/CONTACT PERSON: Sheriff Mike Williams
Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to an address in the 1000 block of Colonel Point in Crystal Township on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at approximately 12:40 A.M. in response to a suspicious fire. After an ongoing investigation, the suspect was arrested for Arson on June 5, 2019.
The investigation began when a passerby spotted a suspicious fire at a residence and then stopped to assist. The passerby found a fire near a home that had also damaged a nearby vehicle and was beginning to burn the attached porch. The resident did exit the home at the request of the passerby and made small attempts to help put the fire out. The passerby continued attempts to extinguish the fire until he was forced to call Central Dispatch prompting a response from the Crystal Township Fire Department and they put the fire out. Before the fire department arrived, the resident withdrew back into the home and did not exit the home again that night.
The deputy found that the initial fire was set to consume household items and clothing. It is believed that the reason for the initial fire was a result of a domestic dispute. The investigation continued and an arrest warrant was issued for the resident of the home. During the evening hours of June 5, 2019, Geoffrey Ray Conant, age 36 now living in Stanton, was arrested and charged with Second Degree Arson and Arson of Personal Property. The Second Degree Arson is a twenty-year felony while the Arson of Person Property is a one-year misdemeanor. Conant remains in the Montcalm County Jail with a $1,500.00 bond.
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