A 66-year-old Salisbury homeowner is facing a long list of criminal charges after investigators determined he intentionally set his own house on fire with five cats trapped inside. Michael S. Satterfield was already sitting in the Wicomico County Detention Center on unrelated traffic charges when a warrant for his arrest on arson and animal cruelty counts caught up with him early Sunday morning.
The fire broke out on the evening of October 24 at a single-story home on Hunters Mill Drive in Salisbury, according to delmarvanow.com. Crews from Salisbury, Westside, Mardela Springs and Fruitland all responded to help battle the blaze, which fire officials say was contained within about 30 minutes, according to wgmd.com.
At the scene, Deputy Chief Lecates found a lawnmower burning in the garage area of the home, and the presence of gasoline nearby caused the fire to intensify quickly, heavily engulfing the garage before it spread into the living space, delmarvanow.com reports. The fire originated in the home's attached garage, per the same outlet's reporting on the investigation.
Five Cats Pulled From the Flames
Amid the chaos, fire crews managed to rescue five cats from inside the burning house. All five were found safe and unharmed once the fire was extinguished, wgmd.com reports. No other injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Fire officials pegged the structural and property damage from the blaze at approximately $175,000, according to the same account. Investigators with the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office ultimately ruled the fire an arson, concluding it had been intentionally started inside the attached garage.
Suspect Was Already in Custody
Investigators identified Satterfield, the homeowner, as the suspect in the case and secured a warrant for his arrest. That warrant was served early Sunday morning while Satterfield was already being held at the Wicomico County Detention Center on traffic-related charges, wgmd.com reports.
He now faces a lengthy roster of charges: first-degree arson, second-degree arson, two counts of malicious burning, five counts of animal cruelty, reckless endangerment, intoxicated endangerment and threat of arson, according to FOX 5 DC. If convicted on every count, Satterfield could face up to 72 years in prison and more than $105,000 in financial penalties, the station reports.
Satterfield was ordered held without bond following his initial appearance and remains in custody at the Wicomico County Detention Center. Under Maryland law, first-degree arson makes it a felony to willfully and maliciously set fire to a dwelling or a structure where a nonparticipant is present, according to the Maryland General Assembly's statute text.
