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An Illinois man was arrested after he allegedly intentionally set his family’s home on fire following a heated argument on Thanksgiving, according to police.
Erik J. Crump, 21, was charged with aggravated arson and residential arson in connection with the incident.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called around 7:30 p.m. Thursday to a home in the 40100 block of North Lone Oak Road in Beach Park for a reported argument.
Family members told deputies they were frustrated because Crump had been antagonizing others in the home, though officers said no crime had occurred.
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Deputies deescalated the situation, and Crump agreed to separate from the family for the rest of the evening.
About an hour later, deputies returned to the home for reports of a fire.
When firefighters arrived, they saw a man matching Crump’s description standing near the roadway armed with a knife, before he fled.
Deputies set up a perimeter, and a sheriff’s K9 tracked his scent to a dead-end, indicating he may have left in a vehicle.
Crump was later located at a storage facility in the 39400 block of North Lewis Avenue and taken into custody without incident.
Detectives determined that Crump had been told after the earlier argument that he would be kicked out of the home. He allegedly returned, used an accelerant to ignite his bedroom, and fled as the fire spread, causing major damage.
The family then noticed smoke filling the home and immediately evacuated.
“It’s nothing short of a blessing that nobody was injured or killed in this senseless act,” Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a statement. “While families across Lake County were sitting down for Thanksgiving, our dispatchers were answering the call, and our deputies were out responding to them.”
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“Our team, along with our fire service partners, responded within minutes, secured the area, helped ensure the fire was extinguished, and took this individual into custody before anyone else was put at risk,” he continued. “I am incredibly proud of their professionalism and their commitment to keeping our community safe every hour of every day.”
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, after reviewing the circumstances of the incident, approved the aggravated arson and residential arson charges.
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