Lufkin man accused of setting stranger’s doghouse, sink on fire

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - A man was arrested on Thursday night after he allegedly set fire to several items in a stranger’s back yard.

Greg Anthony Rodriguez Sr., 44, of Lufkin, was taken into custody on charges of arson and aggravated assault after he crashed on Lufkin Avenue less than a mile from the Angelina County Jail.

At 8:45 p.m., officers were called to Ridge Street where a man told them he walked outside to check on his barking dogs and found an unknown man setting fire to an old cabinet, sink, and doghouse.

The victim told officers that he confronted the suspect, Rodriguez, who told him they burned him, so he was going to burn them. The victim said Rodriguez then poured gasoline on the victim’s arm and struck a lighter at him as if trying to set him on fire. He said Rodriguez then fled in a white van.

A short time later, dispatch notified officers that a van matching the suspect vehicle had just crashed on Lufkin Avenue near the Loop 287 intersection. Officers arrived and took Rodriguez into custody without further incident.

Rodriguez is being held in the Angelina County Jail on $200,000 total bonds.