Man 21, Accused of Setting House on Fire Following Thanksgiving Argument with His Family By Erin Clack

An Illinois man is accused of setting fire to his house following an argument with his family on Thanksgiving.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said in a Nov. 28 news release that deputies responded to a report of “a non-violent, verbal domestic dispute” at a residence on the 40100 block of North Lone Oak Road in Beach Park at around 7:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 27.

Family members were “upset” with relative Erik J. Crump, 21, because he was “antagonizing and arguing” with others in the home, according to the LCSO. Upon arrival, deputies were able to “de-escalate the situation.”

“Crump, nor others, committed a crime, and Crump agreed to keep to himself for the remainder of the evening,” the LCSO stated in the release.

Later that same night, around 8:40 p.m., deputies responded to the same address for reports that the home was on fire. When firefighters arrived, “they reported seeing a man, matching Crump’s description, armed with a knife, standing on the side of the roadway about a block from the residence,” per the LCSO.

Crump then fled on foot, and deputies established a perimeter. “A sheriff’s canine team responded and tracked Crump’s scent to a dead-end in the roadway, indicating he left the area in a vehicle,” the LCSO said.

Deputies tracked Crump’s location to a storage facility in the 39400 block of North Lewis Avenue in Beach Park, and he was taken into custody “without incident.”

A subsequent investigation by LCSO detectives found that, following the earlier argument, Crump was “informed by his family that he was going to be kicked out of his home.” The 21-year-old left the home, but returned a short time later and went to his bedroom near the garage. He then left again.

“Moments later, the family saw smoke filling the home and immediately evacuated,” the LCSO said. “Detectives concluded that Crump used an accelerant to set his room on fire before fleeing the residence again.”

The family’s home sustained “major damage” in the fire. No injuries were reported.

“It’s nothing short of a blessing that nobody was injured or killed in this senseless act,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a statement in the release. “While families across Lake County were sitting down for Thanksgiving, our dispatchers were answering the call, and our deputies were out responding to them. Our team, along with our fire service partners, responded within minutes, secured the area, helped ensure the fire was extinguished, and took this individual into custody before anyone else was put at risk.”

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Crump was charged with aggravated arson (a class X felony) and residential arson (a class 1 felony). He appeared in court on Friday, Nov. 28.

During the hearing, Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Nicholas Shepherd told the judge that the Thanksgiving argument “began over a dog” and escalated to Crump pouring gasoline on the home and lighting it ablaze, per the Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

“The defendant stated he decided to do what he did, and he has no real care for the safety or well-being of his family,” Shepherd said, per the outlet.

Crump is due back in court on Monday, Dec. 1, for a detention hearing.