Woman Charged With Using Flamethrower To Set Car On Fire, Reporting It Stolen
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 47-year-old woman faces arson charges after police say she set her car on fire with a flamethrower two weeks ago, and then falsely reported the car stolen.
Barrington police said Julie Gagne, of the 500 block of South Summit Street, has been charged with one felony count of arson, and one count of filing a false police report.
Police said Gagne reported her car stolen in Schaumburg earlier this month, but later retracted that report. Investigators determined she had set the car on fire around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the 1500 block of South Grove Avenue, using an X15 Flamethrower, a personal flamethrower sold online.
The flamethrower uses mixture of fuel and napalm to shoot flames as far as 50 feet, according to police.
Gagne turned herself in on Tuesday, and and was released on her own recognizance after a bond hearing Wednesday afternoon at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse. She was due back in court on Dec. 14.
