KINGMAN – A woman accused of twice setting fires at a downtown Kingman property faces a possible prison sentence after entering a plea agreement Monday. Patricia Craft, 28, pleaded guilty to one arson of an occupied structure count, in exchange for dismissal of a second arson charge.
Craft was jailed on June 20 for allegedly setting multiple brush fires near the downtown Kingman home where she resided with seven other people, including her own children. Fire Department officials responded to three separate brush fire incidents near a residence in the 500 block of Gold Street.
Deputy Kingman Police Chief Rusty Cooper said that Craft told investigators she suspected her brother lit the fires. “Officers investigating the fires learned that other fires had been set, wherein the home was actually damaged by fire before being extinguished,” Cooper said.
Cooper said a surveillance operation was conducted and that officers observed Craft toss a bundle of ignited papers to the ground from a window in the home. Craft was arrested at about 1:00 a.m.
Cooper said that Craft initially denied involvement, but subsequently admitted her arson activity. No motive has been disclosed but Craft told Judge Billy Sipe that she takes prescription medication for anxiety and depression. Sipe can impose as little as probation and as much as 12.5-years in prison when he sentences Craft on October 30
