Police: Man charged in setting fire to Christmas tree, gifts

DYERSBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee say they have arrested a man after he set fire to a Christmas tree and gifts in an acquaintance’s apartment.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Dyersburg Police Department said officers arrested the 25-year-old man early Sunday after he tried to flee on foot.

Neighbors at the apartment complex saw him enter and leave an apartment, carrying items and putting them in his car, according to police. The man is alleged to have removed items from the apartment, wrapped the tree in a child’s blanket, and set the tree and gifts on fire.

Officers saw a window had been opened to vent the fire and the smoke detector had been covered.

The resident wasn’t home at the time.

That person told police the suspect was an acquaintance with whom she and her brother had an altercation hours earlier.

The charges include aggravated burglary, public intoxication, resisting arrest, aggravated arson and simple possession.

A police department initiative helped replace the children’s damaged gifts.