Man charged in Rollins house fire

A 23-year-old man accused of lighting a Rollins home on fire with its owner sleeping inside has been arrested on charges of arson, aggravated burglary and attempted homicide.

Shane Thomas Northweather, whose address was unlisted in court documents, was booked into Lake County Jail April 6.

Northweather is suspected of starting a fire at a residence on Shelter Bay Lane Nov. 20, while the homeowner, an elderly doctor, was sleeping inside. Woken by a fire alarm, the homeowner escaped from the residence unharmed, but the house was deemed a total loss.

Officials with the Polson Rural Fire Department initially told the Lake County Leader that they suspected the blaze was accidental and the result of a fireplace fire that grew out of control. The homeowner later told investigators that he had not started a fire before going to sleep, leading detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to identify Northweather as a suspect.

According to charging documents in the case, on the night of the fire, Northweather was staying at a guesthouse on the property with his girlfriend, the daughter of the homeowner’s cleaning lady.

Northweather allegedly told officers that he had performed yard work for the homeowner that afternoon and received his permission to sleep in the guesthouse in order to take the homeowner to pick up a prescription the next morning, according to documents.

After the fire, however, the homeowner told family members he had no idea why Northweather and his girlfriend were staying on the property, documents state.

Additionally, the cleaning lady told officers that during the day, while Northweather was present on the property, she had helped the homeowner count about $9,000 in cash laid out to dry on the counter, according to documents.

Northweather allegedly told officers that he had entered the residence between 10:45 and 11:00 p.m. to collect wood for the guesthouse, court documents state. He reported seeing the homeowner asleep on a coach in front of a lit fireplace.

Several minutes later, at 11:06 p.m., a neighbor called to report the blaze.

Northweather allegedly left for Arkansas several days after the fire, using funds sent to him through Wal-Mart, according to court documents. Detectives later contacted Wal-Mart and found no evidence of such a transfer.

Northweather faces four felony charges of attempted deliberate homicide, arson, aggravated burglary and theft. As of press time, his next court date had not been scheduled.