Arson Charge: Man Sets Own Home on Fire Because of Late Dinner

Guy Edward Jones just couldn't wait to eat and that landed him jail on an arson charge.

Authorities say that when he came home for a late dinner and his wife didn't have it on the table, the 60-year-old man got so angry he allegedly set his own house on fire.

According to the Associated Press, the West Virginia man was arrested and charged with arson.

The sheriff's department said that he was angry that his wife, Beverly Jones, didn't have dinner on the table.

She said her husband of 7 years had returned home from a night of drinking with friends.

As a result, the couple fought and she ran next door to a neighbor's house where she saw flames coming out of the basement and her husband exiting through the basement door.

In general, arson is the malicious burning or exploding of the dwelling house of another, or the burning of a building within the curtilage (the immediate surrounding space) of the dwelling of another.

Area police said the incident was unlike any case of domestic violence they've ever seen.

Domestic violence can take a number of forms, including:

• physical behavior (slapping, punching, pulling hair or shoving)
• forced or coerced sexual acts or behavior (unwanted fondling or intercourse, or sexual jokes and insults)
• threats (threatening to hit, harm or use a weapon)
• psychological abuse (attacks on self-esteem, attempts to control or limit another person's behavior, repeated insults or interrogation)
• stalking (following a person, appearing at a person's home or workplace, making repeated phone calls or leaving written messages), or
• cyberstalking (repeated online action or email that causes substantial emotional distress).

In the end, Beverly Jones says her husband not only destroyed their home, but also their marriage. 

• Man Burns Down House Because Wife Didn't Have Dinner Ready (wsaz.com)
• Arson - Criminal Law (FindLaw)
• Domestic Violence - Criminal Law (FindLaw)