Woman accused of arson, attempted murder in Saturday apartment fire

By Rich Coleman

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011 | 6:14 p.m.

Henderson police arrested a woman Saturday after she allegedly set fire to her boyfriend’s apartment and damaged other apartments, causing $200,000 in damage and displacing 16 people.

Tameca Taylor, 33, was booked into the Henderson Detention Center on suspicion of eight counts of first degree arson, nine counts of attempted murder and one count of battery with a deadly weapon. Bond was set at $500,000.

According to an arrest report, police responded at 10:35 p.m. Friday to a family disturbance at Taylor’s apartment in the 700 block of Center Street. The report indicated that Taylor believed her boyfriend stole her pocketknife and a cell phone charger.

Taylor’s boyfriend left with his 20-year-old son and nephew, the report said. After midnight, they returned to their apartment in the 1100 block of Center Street and found the living room in disarray with broken items, including his big screen television, which had a 100-pound dumbbell thrown through it.

Taylor was found inside his bedroom, the report said, and after a verbal argument, she set fire to the bed with what appeared to be a lighter. After her boyfriend tried to extinguish the fire and warned everyone to get out, Taylor charged at him with a large butcher knife and two other knives, the report said.

He and his nephew were able to disarm Taylor but Taylor’s boyfriend had a minor laceration on his right cheek, police said.

Because there were nine people in her boyfriend’s apartment at the time, Taylor was charged with nine counts of attempted murder. She is facing eight counts of first degree arson because the fire damaged all eight apartments in the building.

She is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 10.