Ottawa arson suspect jailed, but judge OKs release if she can get into homeless shelter

Tekeisha White is not getting out of jail Monday – the court wants proof a homeless shelter will take her in – but the arson suspect was granted pretrial release and will be cut loose if and when she has a verified place to stay.

Setting a building on fire, not reporting the situation knowing the house was on fire with people inside, shows a callous disregard for life”

—  Greg Sticka, prosecutor

White, 21, of Ottawa appeared Monday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with two charges, aggravated arson and residential arson. Aggravated arson is a Class X felony carrying six to 30 years in prison with no possibility of probation. Residential arson is a Class 1 felony carrying four to 15 years.

Both charges were filed following an investigation into a Thanksgiving fire (there were no injuries reported) at a residence in the 1500 block of Pine Street in Ottawa, where White had been a guest.

Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Greg Sticka said in open court Monday that firefighters discovered the fire originated in a bedroom where White and a man had been staying. When questioned by police, Sticka said, White eventually admitted using a cigarette lighter to ignite a shirt and put it against “other combustible items” in the bedroom.

White, he said, had had an argument with another occupant prior to setting the fire. While White told police she tried to tell one of the occupants the house was on fire – she claimed she couldn’t get a word in – White nonetheless exited the home and sent for an ambulance for herself (stomach pains, she told police) without telling any of the first responders about the fire.

“Setting a building on fire not reporting the situation knowing the house was on fire with people inside shows a callous disregard for life,” Sticka said.

Sticka told Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. that White presented a threat to the public and, now lacking a place to stay, was not a good candidate for GPS monitoring.

Public Defender Ryan Hamer said White was in fact a good candidate for GPS monitoring, having “zero criminal history” and a low score on her risk assessment (1 on a 14-point scale). Hamer said White has “some mental health diagnoses,” but the risk to others could be mitigated with a “stay-away order” and GPS monitoring.

Ryan agreed to try GPS monitoring – if she can stay there, the judge emphasized – and will revisit White’s release on Dec. 19, by which time Hamer’s office will have gotten an answer from Illinois Valley Public Action to Deliver Shelter. White will stay in jail during the interim.