Lubbock Police Arrest ‘Loud’ Tenant for Starting Fire in Apartment
On Friday, May 27th, a Lubbock man was arrested after it's said he started a fire in his apartment.
Lubbock Police initially responded to the Que apartment complex in the 2100 block of Avenue Q for reports of water coming out of one of the rooms. They noted the suspect, 61-year-old Russell Lee Caldwell, fleeing the scene.
Officers broke the door down and found multiple boxes and a mattress stacked in front of the door inside the apartment. They also found that a fire had been started on the kitchen counter, but it was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Specifically, officers noted a basket on the counter filled with debris "that exhibited with fire." Among the debris was a blue cigarette lighter.
KAMC News reports that the owner of the Whataburger on 19th Street and Avenue Q has encountered Caldwell twice the night before. He said that Caldwell seemed to be under the influence of methamphetamine due to how he looked.
Caldwell's neighbor says that he had heard loud noises coming from the apartment but didn't think anything of it. Apparently Caldwell was typically loud. The neighbor went to bed around 10:30 p.m. but was awoken by the fire alarm.
Caldwell was eventually taken into custody in the Covenant Emergency Room for arson.