CEDAR CITY, Utah — A 34-year-old man is facing aggravated arson charges after police say he attempted to start a fire at an apartment complex where 60 people live, after he allegedly smoked meth.
Christian Max Gonzalez-Diaz was arrested on Sunday in Cedar City. He is being held without bail.
Cedar City police say in court documents that they were called to a structure fire at 18 South Main Street, an apartment complex that houses around 60 different people.
When police arrived, the fire was out, but officials say that the fire appeared suspicious. A pile of clothes in a laundry basket had been burnt, and nearby, an empty bottle of Isopropyl Alcohol was found.
The State Fire Investigator asked for a photo to be sent to him, and when he reviewed the image, he stated that it indicated an accelerant was used based on the fire pattern on the bed and clothes.
Also nearby was a W2 for Christian Gonzalez-Diaz. When investigators went to his work, they learned he had quit the day before. Coworkers told detectives this was very out of the norm for Gonzalez-Diaz.
A short time later, police received a call about a suspicious person who matched Gonzalez-Diaz's description. Officers responded and arrested Gonzalez-Diaz without incident.
When speaking to investigators, Gonzalez-Diaz claimed to have not been to his apartment for several days. However, when officers told him about the fire, he didn't seem concerned or surprised.
Gonzalez-Diaz allegedly continued to claim to have nothing to do with the fire before saying, "OK, I'll admit to it, I burned it down."
He then allegedly told investigators in detail about spraying the alcohol on the clothes before proceeding to light it on fire. Detectives noted they never told Gonzalez-Diaz about the alcohol being sprayed or that it was being investigated for arson.
Gonzalez-Diaz also admitted to police he had been using methamphetamine over the last couple of days.
