Trevor R. Chapman
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — An accused arsonist told a city jailer he used medical marijuana about 90 minutes before setting a fire at the Mission of Hope homeless shelter in Stillwater, court records allege.
If convicted of first-degree arson, Trevor R. Chapman, 36, of Stillwater, could be imprisoned for up to 35 years and fined as much as $25,000. Chapman has been ordered jailed on $5,000 bail pending a court appearance on March 7 when he can seek a preliminary hearing.
Chapman was arrested after Stillwater Police Officer Caleb Cassidy was sent at 10:23 pm on Feb. 4 to the homeless shelter due to the fire, an affidavit said.
“Three different people pointed at a man standing in front of a police unit in the middle of Perkins Road by 18th Avenue. They all said he started the fire. Two men said he had barricaded the door to a room shut, started a fire and broke out a window to escape. Another woman came up to me and said she was walking by on the sidewalk when ‘that man’ jumped through the window almost knocking her over,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
When the officer saw Chapman, “His face was blackened with smoke, his hands were wet, and he looked agitated. I asked him, ‘Did you start this fire’ and he said ‘yes.’ I said, ‘why did you do that?’ And he answered, ‘because that place is full of the Cartel,"” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
Chapman said, “he felt like his hands were on fire and he had third-degree burns on his hands. I had Life Net medics on scene check him out and make sure he was okay.
“His hands had small burn marks and were blackened by smoke. He asked if I could get him a piece of ice from the snow outside that he could hold in his burnt hands so they would feel better,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
After the Stillwater fire marshal spoke to Chapman, he was transported to the city jail, the affidavit said. “Once inside the jail, he advised jail staff he was suicidal. Chapman advised the jailer he usually smokes Kratom, but tonight he smoked medical marijuana,” at 9 pm, the affidavit alleged.
Stillwater Police Sgt. James Hansen said a vehicle registered to Chapman was found in the parking area at the Mission, the affidavit alleged. A blow torch was inside the vehicle, the affidavit alleged.
