The suspect accused of pouring gasoline on a 40-year-old homeless man in Cañon City early Sunday, which ignited and set him ablaze, told investigators that he “just wanted to scare” the man, according to court documents.
A probable cause statement for the suspect, 34-year-old Michael Scarvada, say he was angry at Jason Crowder for telling his girlfriend that he had cheated on her.
“He caused problems with me and my girlfriend,” Scarvada told deputies from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the statement says in paraphrasing from an interview. “You don’t mess with people’s lives like that. I wanted him to know what he did was wrong.”
Crowder was severely burned at about 3 a.m. on the 1600 block of Park Avenue.
Authorities say they found him writhing in pain inside the doorway of his parents home, blaming Scarvada and screaming “why would he do this to me?”
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Crowder was sleeping in the back of his pickup truck, outside of his parents home, when the alleged attack happened. His parents told investigators that Crowder was not allowed in their house because of his drug use and that he had been living in the vehicle.
When deputies went to find Scarvada, officials say, they found him with “the odor of gasoline and burnt hair. He had minor burns on his arms and hands and his facial hair, eyebrows and hairline were singed.”
According to the probable cause statement, Scarvada said he used poured gasoline from a can onto Crowder, but that he “didn’t light it even though I had a lighter.”
“He may have had a small electric heater in the truck, which lit the gasoline,” Scarvada told investigators, the statement says.
Scarvada told investigators that he tried to help put out the flames before fleeing.
Scarvada was arrested without incident. He was taken to the Fremont County jail where he is being held without bail on suspicion of first-degree assault, fourth-degree arson, first-degree burglary and reckless endangerment.
“I texted my girlfriend that she would never see me again because I knew I was going to prison,” Scarvada told deputies, according to the probable cause statement.
