Man set fire to Midlands home because he was angry with its owner, SC cops say

A man is behind bars after being charged with arson and other crimes following a house fire in the Midlands on Monday, the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office said.

In addition to arson, Julio Melindez was charged with possession of methamphetamine and petit larceny, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

At about 1 p.m., sheriff’s deputies were among the first responders on the scene of a structure fire at a Saluda residence on U.S. 178/Batesburg Highway, according to the release.

Deputies said they learned the fire was started by Melindez after he became angry at the homeowner. Once the fire was set, Melindez ran into the nearby woods, the sheriff’s office said.

Information about why Melindez was angry with the homeowner was not available.

Minutes after the sheriff’s office bloodhound tracking team arrived at the scene, Melindez was found and arrested, according to the release.

The fire was ultimately extinguished by the Saluda County Fire Service, according to the release.

The fire did not cause any major damage to the home, and the residents were able to go back inside, the fire service said.

No injuries were reported, according to the fire service.

There was no word on what was used to set the fire.

Melindez was locked up in the Saluda County Detention Center. Information if a bond was set was not available.

If convicted on the felony arson charge, Melindez could be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.

This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 11:10 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription