LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A London, Kentucky man has been arrested and charged with arson and burglary after an incident on Sunday in which he allegedly set a home on fire after he stole from the home.
According to the Kentucky State Police, at around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, police were made aware of a house fire in London on Laurel River Church Road.
The Campground Fire Department responded and found the single-family home was on fire. Evidence was also found that indicated that the house had been burglarized before being set on fire, according to a release from the KSP.
KSP said that an investigation determined that Swafford allegedly forced his way into the home, disabled the alarm system, and stole items totaling over $10,000 in value. The release stated that the house was set on fire to "cover up the crime."
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According to the release many of the items stolen from the house were located in a neighbor's house. 47-year-old Billy J. Swafford was identified by police as a suspect and he was found less than a half mile away from his house.
Swafford was arrested and charged with "Arson 1st Degree," "Burglary 2nd Degree" and "Possession of Burglar Tools." He was then taken to the Laurel County Detention Center, according to KSP.
An investigation is ongoing.
