Crystal Lake Man Out On Bond Used Gas, Lighter to Set House Fire: Cops

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A Crystal Lake man who is out on bond after crashing his SUV into a house and seriously injuring a resident now faces arson charges in connection with a weekend house fire caused when officials said he used gasoline and a cigarette lighter to intentionally start the fire.

Connor Kirkpatrick was charged in a warrant with arson on Sunday, one day after a fire damaged a Lakewood home just before 6 a.m. According to a criminal complaint, Connor Kirkpatrick was charged with aggravated arson, residential arson, and criminal damage to property by fire causing more than $100,000 in damage.

The complaint alleges that Kirkpatrick poured almost four gallons of gas around the home and then used a cigarette lighter to ignite the fire, documents said.

The Crystal Lake Lake Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire in the 9300 block of Firth Court in Lakewood just before 6 a.m. on Saturday. No one was home at the time of the fire and firefighters needed just a few minutes to extinguish the fire.

Fire officials said the fire caused severe heat and smoke damage and fire officials said the damage estimate to the home and its contents was estimated at $250,000.

Kirkpatrick was charged in a warrant that was issued on Sunday and charging documents indicated that Kirkpatrick intended to do great bodily harm to himself and the property.

Kirkpatrick turned himself in to police in October after being released from the hospital for injuries sustained when he crashed his SUV into a local home last July. Kirkpatrick was charged with felony aggravated reckless driving charges along with criminal damage to property of more than $100,000 and reckless conduct in connection with a July 27 incident in Crystal Lake, police said.

On July 27, police said Kirkpatrick's sport utility vehicle crashed into a detached garage of the Heather Drive house. The SUV was heading east on Ballard Road when it went through the intersection at Briarwood Drive and, for unknown reasons, left the roadway and hit the home.

The crash left a 64-year-old resident of the home paralyzed.