Lincoln man charged with arson of his own home

[September 01, 2011]  Wednesday morning Bryan L. Simpson, 37, of 825 Decatur St., was arrested at the intersection of South Sherman and Broadway Street and charged with arson involving the home where he lived.

The residence on Decatur Street burned on Tuesday night.

Lincoln firefighters responded to the call of a house on fire and found the residence in flames. Assistance was called in to fight the fire, but in the end the home was gutted.

On Wednesday morning, fire department officials declined to speak about the fire, saying that it was currently under investigation by the Lincoln Police Department as well as the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office.

On Thursday morning, Lincoln city police Chief Ken Greenslate confirmed that Simpson had been arrested and was being charged with arson. Greenslate indicated that Simpson is expected to be arraigned today and that further information may be forthcoming from the state's attorney's office.

When asked about the residents of the home, Greenslate said that Simpson lived at the house with his wife, two stepdaughters, a stepson and a nephew and that none of his family members were home at the time of the fire.

Greenslate said he could not comment on how or why the fire may have been started, but he did note that the city police department had been at the residence earlier in the day in response to a domestic disturbance call.

[By NILA SMITH]