A 14-year-old Port Richey girl has been accused of setting her house on fire early Thursday after an argument with her family, reports The Suncoast News (http://bit.ly/YkivTv).
The teen’s mother and 9-year-old brother, awakened by a smoke alarm, safely escaped the fire, officials said. They told firefighters that the girl was unaccounted for, and an emergency search was conducted in the home, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.
The teen, Lily Marie Hartwell, was located several hours later by fire investigators and taken into custody at 7432 Little Road, deputies said.
She faces one count of arson and two counts of attempted murder, deputies said.
The Chasco Middle School student was questioned by detectives and admitted to setting the fire on purpose after an argument, deputies said.
Pasco County firefighters, called about 1:45 a.m. to the fire at 9006 Hermitage Lane, found heavy smoke and fire in the garage and pushing up from the roof of the single-story home.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco has scheduled a news conference to discuss the case as well as its possible connection to the fictional online character The Slender Man.
