'Witchcraft Traps' and 'Satanic' Rituals: Woman Allegedly Explains How Fire Was Set to Her Wisconsin Apartment

A Wisconsin woman arrested after allegedly starting a fire in her apartment earlier this month has provided an unconventional explanation for the blaze: “witchcraft.”

The woman, Charmilia Jeffries, was charged with one felony count of arson of building without owner’s consent after allegedly starting a fire in her apartment in northwest Milwaukee on Saturday, Dec. 21, according to jail records viewed by PEOPLE.

First responders were ultimately able to tame the blaze, and nobody was hurt in the fire, Milwaukee TV station WISN reported.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet, Jeffries, 36, had previously told her son to take the smoke detectors out of her unit because they were suspicious.

She also allegedly gave a cryptic statement to authorities, telling detectives that someone had been putting “witchcraft traps” in her home, and referring to the culprit or culprits only as “they.”

“It is a satanic, um, ritual that they do, they do around these times,” she told authorities, per WISN. ”They been sitting me up, putting witchcraft traps around my house.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Jeffries was taken into custody the same day as the apartment fire, Dec. 21, according to jail records.

She is currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a $7,500 cash bail, and is next due in court on Jan. 24.

The Milwaukee Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.