Maryland man charged with arson after 5 cats rescued from house fire
Photo courtesy of the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
SALISBURY, MD. - A Salisbury man is facing a string of felony and misdemeanor offenses after fire investigators accused him of intentionally setting fire to his home over the weekend with several pets inside.
State fire officials announced that 66-year-old Michael S. Satterfield was formally charged with first- and second-degree arson, two counts of malicious burning, threat of arson, reckless endangerment, intoxicated endangerment and five counts of animal cruelty.
Timeline:
Emergency crews were dispatched around 5:35 p.m. Saturday to a reported blaze along the 6000 block of Hunters Mill Drive. Approximately 40 firefighters from Hebron and nearby volunteer departments managed to contain the single-alarm fire in about half an hour, according to fire officials.
Crews reportedly located five cats inside the single-story structure and carried them out safe and unharmed.
Officials calculated the resulting structural and property losses at around $175,000.
Dig deeper:
An origin-and-cause review conducted by deputy state fire marshals determined the fire had been intentionally started inside the attached garage. Investigators identified Satterfield as the primary suspect and secured a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant was executed Sunday morning at the Wicomico County detention facility, where Satterfield was already in custody following a traffic stop handled by state troopers, according to police. Investigators from the local state's attorney's office also assisted at the scene.
Following his initial appearance, Satterfield was ordered held without bond, police said. If found guilty on every count, he could face a statutory maximum of up to 72 years behind bars and more than $105,000 in financial penalties.
The Source: Information from the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal.