HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A man said he started 20 to 30 fires at various west Houston businesses because he was bored and wanted to stay warm.
The crimes date back to December and continued until Wednesday, when Houston Arson Bureau investigators say Jody Curvey, 43, was caught in the act.
Court documents say Curvey used a lighter to set tree limbs on fire at the partially vacant West Oaks Mall. He’s then accused of placing the burning tree limbs on a staircase, blocking the mall’s emergency exit door.
When a security guard confronted Curvey, he allegedly used a sweater to fan the flames.
Curvey’s also accused of setting three fires on different dates in December, January, and February at a Westheimer strip mall across the street from West Oaks Mall.
On Jan. 20, prosecutors say he set fire to a bunch of cardboard boxes propped up against the Academy store on Highway 6.
Curvey’s bond was set at $75,000.
Should he bond out, he’s been ordered to stay away from all combustibles.
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