HOT SPRINGS -- A Garland County man was arrested on felony warrants charging him with three counts of arson Wednesday evening stemming from allegations he set a fire that burned his house down and spread to two neighboring homes on Oct. 29.
David William Neill, 50, of 139 Windcrest Circle, was taken into custody shortly before 7 p.m. on the three counts, one punishable by up to life in prison, one punishable by up to 30 years and one punishable by up to 10 years, based on the amount of damages involved.
He remained in custody Thursday in lieu of a $225,000 bond and is set to appear on Nov. 14 in Garland County District Court.
According to an arrest affidavit, on Oct. 29, around 11:15 p.m., Garland County sheriff's deputies were notified of a residential structure fire at Neill's house and responded along with 70 West Fire Department personnel.
Assessor's records list the estimated market value of the house at $265,000.
After the fire was extinguished, a female resident of 151 Windcrest told deputies she had seen Neill "let his dogs out" of his backyard to "roam free," which she noted is "something he never does."
About five minutes after that, she said she saw smoke coming from Neill's house. At the same time, a neighbor at 134 Windcrest called 911 to report the residence at 139 Windcrest was on fire and that she had seen Neill just prior to the fire.
The house where the fire originated was unoccupied when firefighters arrived and was "a total loss," 70 West Fire Chief Autumn Carlisle said.
Houses on either side sustained damage from radiant heat and were occupied, but neighbors who noticed the fire quickly notified those residents, evacuating them prior to firefighters' arrival, she said.
The damage was estimated at $20,000 to the house at 151 Windcrest and $5,000 to the one at 135 Windcrest.
Witnesses said Neill left the scene in a gold Ford F-150 pickup truck. Around 6 a.m. on Oct. 30, deputies made contact with him on Bittersweet Lane.
"Neill refused to cooperate with deputies and a three-hour negotiation ensued," the affidavit said. During the negotiations, Deputy Candice Presley made phone contact with Neill, who was reported to have said "he was afraid he hurt someone when he burned his home down," referring to 139 Windcrest.
Neill was not charged at that time, but warrants on two of the arson counts were issued on Nov. 2 and a warrant on the third count, punishable by up to life in prison, was issued on Monday.