A Phoenix man has two problems: his neighbor, and throwing like a girl.
According to court records obtained by New Times, 51-year-old Bruce Mueller had a dispute with his neighbor at an apartment complex at 1625 East Glendale Avenue in Phoenix. He responded by trying to set burn the neighbor's house down.
About 11 p.m. Friday, Mueller broke the glass door of the
neighbor's house. He then poured gasoline and motor oil on the porch
that, if on fire, would block the door for anyone looking to flee the
building if it were on fire.
Then Mueller filled a glass bottle with gasoline, lit it on fire, and threw it at the victim's house.
Meanwhile, the victim was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard
the glass door break. He got out of bed and watched as Mueller threw the
flaming bottle at his gasoline-soaked porch.
But Mueller's throw was short, and the only thing he managed to set on
fire was the victim's lawn and a few window screens that had been
removed for painting.
Mueller ran from the scene but was caught by police a short time later.
After the cops showed up, the victim told officers he and Mueller have
had several disputes in the past, usually caused by Mueller's irrational
behavior.
Once in custody, Mueller told police he tried to set his neighbor's house on fire "to scare him."
Mueller's been charged with one count of arson, one count of criminal
damage, one count of endangerment, and one count of misconduct involving
a weapon.
