LACEY – A Lacey Township man has been charged with aggravated arson after investigators determined he set fire to furniture inside a Hillwood Road home, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Prosecutors said 43-year-old Taquan Shelton, a renter at the residence, started the blaze around 1:05 p.m. on October 15. Firefighters arrived to find a couch and ottoman burning in the living room and quickly extinguished the flames before they spread.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Arson Squad, Lacey Township Police Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit, the State Fire Marshal’s K-9 Unit, and the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was intentionally set using an open flame and ignitable liquid.
Shelton was arrested at Lacey Township Police Headquarters and taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.
Billhimer credited the joint efforts of the law enforcement and fire agencies involved for their swift and thorough investigation.
