Five attempted murder charges for Columbia man accused of setting home on fire

A Columbia man has been charged with five counts of attempted murder after deputies said he set a Midlands home on fire with five people inside late Saturday night.

Joseph Harry Riester, 48, entered the home on Jones Wire Road in Swansea with a knife shortly before midnight, according to the arrest warrants.

“The victims told investigators Riester threatened to kill one of the occupants with a knife,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “After Riester left the home, the victims then noticed the front door and porch on fire and were able to safely escape.”

When deputies arrived, they found Riester standing in the front yard continuing to make threats.

Riester is also charged with second degree arson, kidnapping and first degree burglary in relation to the incident, according to Koon.

Riester is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center after a judge denied his bond Monday morning.

This story was originally published January 8, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Five attempted murder charges for Columbia man accused of setting home on fire."