A Mineral man accused of threatening someone with a knife and then trying to light their Ashford residence on fire on Wednesday is facing felony charges in Lewis County Superior Court.
The man, identified as Xander Michael Keyes, 20, allegedly threatened the occupants of a residence on Hofer Drive in Ashford with a knife on Wednesday, Feb. 7, according to court documents.
The victims reported Keyes “had recently broken up with his girlfriend and had been up for days.”
Keyes allegedly left the residence through the window, and the occupants locked the doors after he left.
After Keyes left the residence, Keyes allegedly “spread some sort of liquid on the porch and attempted to light it with a lighter, saying he was going to ‘burn the house down,’” according to court documents.
A Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy who responded to the incident on Wednesday reported he “could smell a strange smell on the porch and was able to determine that the substance was liquid car wax.”
Keyes was searched incident to arrest, but “was noted as wearing numerous layers of clothing, which made it difficult to search him,” according to court documents. A deputy did find “several pills” in Keyes’s pockets. Keyes was reportedly “advised that if he had any items that were controlled substances on his person while in the jail, additional charges may be added.” Keyes was reportedly warned twice that bringing controlled substances into the jail could lead to additional charges, but Keyes allegedly “denied possessing controlled substances.”
When Keyes was booked into the jail, jail staff reportedly found “a plastic baggie with a white crystalline substance that field tested as methamphetamine” on his person.
Keyes was charged Thursday, Feb. 8, with one count each of first-degree attempted arson, second-degree arson and possession of a controlled substance while in a county or state correctional facility.
Keyes refused to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Feb. 8 and was held without bail overnight. The hearing was rescheduled to 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9.
