Bail set for woman accused of starting mobile home fire in East Olympia
A 36-year-old woman accused of starting a fire that destroyed a mobile home in East Olympia last Wednesday is being held in Thurston County jail in lieu of $10,000.
Mary Elisabeth Schmidt attended her preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday. Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax set the bail amount after finding probable cause for first-degree arson.
Firefighters responded to a blaze at a home on the 3000 block of 80th Avenue Southeast at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, said Kevin Denton, Deputy Chief of Operations for East Olympia Fire District 6.
Denton said crews knocked down the fire in about 20 minutes, but remained on site for about an hour to ensure it was fully extinguished. No residents or responders were injured, but the home was totally lost.
Some bystanders reported the fire could have been intentionally set, Denton said. East Olympia Fire District 6 and Southeast Thurston Fire Authority are investigating the cause with help from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, he said.
About 20 firefighters responded to the blaze, he said. Crews from Lacey Fire, South Thurston Fire, Olympia Fire and McLane Black Lake Fire departments also helped.
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Schmidt from the perspective law enforcement.
A deputy responded to a suspicious person call at a home on Ayer Street Southeast at 12:27 p.m. Wednesday. The caller told dispatch someone rang their electronic doorbell and said they had lit their boyfriend’s house on fire.
The woman reportedly went on to say she set the fire because the neighbors across the street threatened her family. This interaction was captured on video via the electronic doorbell, according to the statement.
The deputy found the woman, later identified as Schmidt, who reportedly matched the person in the video. The statement says she was initially uncooperative with the deputy and only said someone had threatened her.
After being read her Miranda warning, the deputy reported Schmidt admitted to setting a mattress on fire with a propane torch. She reportedly said she did this because her boyfriend had made a compromising tape of her without her consent.
Schmidt said she knew several other people used and lived at the home when she lit the mattress on fire, according to the probably cause statement.
Deputies then arrested her and booked her into Thurston County jail. Her arraignment has been scheduled for Oct. 18.
