TYLER, Texas — A Tyler man was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to intentionally causing a house fire last year that injured a woman after they had an argument.
During a court hearing Monday, Stanley Paul Wilson, Jr., pleaded guilty to arson in connection with a fire at a vacant home on Mockingbird Lane in Tyler on April 15, 2022. He was then sentenced to two years in prison, according to Smith County judicial records.
The blaze left one woman injured with second-degree burns to her hands and face. She was treated at a Dallas hospital and later released, documents and officials said.
The burn victim told officials that Wilson started the fire intentionally to harm her because of an altercation they had earlier in the night, according to the arrest affidavit.
In a phone call, the victim told investigators that she confronted Wilson earlier that night about taking her belongings. He was mad at her, and she said that he knew she was inside the house when the fire started, the document read.
On April 15, when firefighters while responding to the blaze, Wilson was seen walking in the area and he told police officers he was just walking around. He was not arrested at the time, the affidavit stated.
Two days after the fire, Wilson denied that he had any involvement twice to Tyler police officers. In an interview with police, the affidavit states Wilson implied the burn victim was very careless and she probably started the fire. He also said he didn't know her name.
In surveillance video from a nearby store, Wilson was seen around the backyard of Mockingbird Lane residence before the house fire. Wilson had multiple fires burning in the backyard area, the affidavit read.
Judicial records show he will receive 439 days of credit for time served in the Smith County Jail.