'My Wife Is A Cheater' Arson Suspect Admits Being 'Drunk And Stupid'
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - A man accused of spray painting the phrase "My wife is a cheater" on his home before setting it on fire told police he was drunk and stupid and doesn't remember starting the fire.
William Lindauer, 31, appeared before a Jefferson County judge Wednesday morning. He's facing charges of first-degree arson and reckless endangerment.
Nobody was at home at the time of the fire but the judge expressed his concern over Lindauer and his worry regarding the extreme danger the suspect put his neighbors in by allegedly setting his home on fire.
The home located in the 6800 block of Nelson Street now sits empty and in ruins. It's now boarded up with tarps covering the message, "My wife is cheater."
"We received a call yesterday morning about 1:30 a.m. of an explosion," Jill McGranahan with Arvada police said.
McGranahan said Lindauer at one time lived at the home with his wife and three children.
"He was placed in custody for first-degree arson among other charges," she said.
Fire investigators found a propane tank and spare gasoline inside that could have caused the explosion and fire.
RELATED: 'My Wife Is A Cheater' Spray Painted On House That Caught Fire
Court records released Wednesday show the couple divorced last year but were back together until two weeks ago when she left him again.
"For quite some time he was not there, and he kind of showed back up," a neighbor told CBS4.
On the night of March 9 Lindauer accused his ex-wife of cheating with an old high school friend, according to court documents. She denied his accusation saying she hadn't seen the man in years.
Court documents also show Lindauer believed the infidelity because the man had started liking her posts on Facebook out of the blue. Lindauer then told police he bought a gun and proceded to get drunk.
When asked by police why he would burn the house down, he said he was just "drunk and stupid."
Lindauer cannot have any contact with his wife, their three children, or the man whose name he is accused of spray painting on the home. In addition to first-degree arson and reckless endangerment, he faces an animal cruelty charge which stems from a pet fish that did not survive the fire.
