Daleville man tries to set fire to car after his life was threatened, police say

Richard Everett
·1 min read
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DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — A Dale County man is facing an arson charge after police said he was coerced into trying to set fire to a car at a Level Plains auto shop where he worked.

At 10:00 p.m. Tuesday, a patrol officer responded to a body shop in Level Plains on reports of a structure fire, but when the officer arrived, there was no fire, so the officer went back on patrol.

According to Chief John Summers, at 3:00 a.m., that same officer was called back to the body shop on reports of a car fire, and when he arrived, he found 54-year-old Jesus Cisneros attempting to set a car on fire in the lot. The officer stopped the fire before it got out of control.

Chief Summers says Cisneros, an employee at the body shop, immediately admitted to the officer that he tried to set fire to the car because someone who was recently fired from the shop had threatened his life and told Cisneros that if he didn’t set fire to a car, he would kill Cisneros.

Cisneros was arrested and charged with one count of arson and booked into the Dale County Jail with a $1,000 bond.

Cisneros is planning on pressing charges against the man who threatened his life, and a further investigation into the incident will continue once Cisneros is released.

The chief tells WDHN they have a suspect, but their identity will not be released.

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