Woman Arrested for Arson Following Pines Fire

A 40-year-old Traverse City woman was arrested for committing arson and possessing a Taser after she allegedly set fire to a man's campsite at the Pines area of the Women's Trail near the 600 block of Division Street Thursday.

According to the Traverse City Police Department, authorities responded to a reported wildfire at 11:12pm Thursday. They contained the fire, but not before it consumed a campsite, a tree, and some nearby vegetation. Authorities determined a 40-year-old Traverse City woman started a fire at the campsite of a 38-year-old Traverse City man. The woman allegedly poured gasoline on the fire and on the man's tent while the man was inside the tent. The victim was able to escape the tent unharmed, and the woman fled the scene before officers arrived. 

The suspect was later located and arrested for intentionally causing the fire. During a search, authorities found a Taser in the woman's backpack. She was arrested and taken to the Grand Traverse County Jail on charges of arson and possession of a portable weapon or device directing electrical current, impulse, wave, or beam. The woman's name has not yet been released pending her arraignment.