Special to the NEWS
A fire at a residence just outside the San Benito city limits led to the arrest of a 69-year-old man.
Gilbert Montemayor was detained last week after allegedly setting his vehicle on fire at his home, damaging the residence. According to the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, Montemayor stated that the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute.
According to the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, Montemayor told investigators that his estranged partner refused to answer her phone after multiple attempts to contact her, allegedly causing him to set a vehicle on fire at his home.
Montemayor was later charged with arson, a second-degree felony, and terroristic threats, a Class A misdemeanor, according to a Cameron County Sheriff’s Office media statement.
The incident occurred around 7:22 a.m. on Thursday when Cameron County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a fire involving a vehicle and a home on the 27000 block of Kornegay Road, just outside the San Benito city limits.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they approached a man who was later identified as Montemayor, according to the statement.
Montemayor told the responding deputies that he had been facing “marital problems” and admitted to setting his vehicle on fire, according to the sheriff’s office.
Montemayor said he called his wife and became upset when she didn’t answer, which prompted him to leave multiple voicemails allegedly threatening to set his vehicle on fire.
According to the report, Montemayor allegedly took a gasoline container and poured petrol onto his vehicle, which was parked inside the garage. He told authorities he used matches to ignite the fire.
The fire spread into the garage, causing extensive damage to the house, according to the report.
Deputies spoke with Montemayor’s wife, who said the couple was experiencing marital issues and had recently become estranged.
Montemayor was detained and booked at the Cameron County Carrizalez Rucker Detention Center in Olmito.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.