A woman who was taken to the hospital after being found unconscious in her yard during a fire investigation was taken to Benton County Jail Sunday when released from the hospital.
Tammy Renee Rogers, 46, Pea Ridge, was booked into the Benton County Jail for felony arson and was being held on a $50,000 bond. She was still in jail Tuesday morning.
Saturday night, an off-duty firefighter noticed smoke coming from a residence on Greenwood Cove about 11 p.m.; he called 911. The firefighter, Cory Lawson, said he was on It'll Do Road when he saw the smoke.
Pea Ridge firefighters and police arrived at the residence to find smoke billowing from the back of the house. They found Rogers outside on the lawn, unresponsive, with a candle lighter in her hand. Rogers was transported by ambulance to Northwest Medical, Bentonville. She was interviewed by police Sunday in her hospital room, according to the police report.
According to the report, Rogers said she bought a gasoline can and gasoline when she went to a local convenience store for a soda after taking a prescription sleep medication. She told police she did not know why she did it.
After Fire Department personnel cleared the scene, police investigated the house after obtaining a search warrant authorized by both deputy prosecutor Carrie Dobbs and circuit judge Brad Karren, according to the police report.
Benton County fire marshal Marc Trolinger assisted in the investigation.
Rogers is a former employee of Benton County Sheriff's Office. Her former husband, Tony Rogers, a currently deputy, told police he was still listed as the owner of the property, according to the report.
The incident is still under investigation, according to police.
General News on 06/03/2015