Man asks: “Is it against the law to burn my own house down?”

A Monday morning house fire in Geronimo led to the arrest of its owner after, investigators said, he asked if it was against the law to burn his own house down.

With a clink of handcuffs, he learned it is.

Kevin James Jerome, 44, of Geronimo, made his initial appearance Wednesday in Comanche County District Court where he received a felony charge of second-degree arson, records indicate. The crime is punishable by up to 35 years in prison and/or a fine up to $25,000.

Called to a fire at 301 Honeywell in Geronimo, investigators spoke with a man who said Jerome had asked him for gas and a gas can but he didn’t have any. Later, the man went outside and saw the home engulfed in flames and he called 911, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The witness said he saw Jerome walking away from the home with his dog while pulling a blue cart. Jerome told the man “he was done with his home,” the affidavit states.

As fire crews from Geronimo, Hulen, and Flower Mound battled the house fire, a deputy made contact with Jerome who said he was going to check on his house. When asked if anything was wrong with the house, he responded it had caught fire while he was inside and, later, spontaneously said, “Is it against the law to burn my own house down?” according to the affidavit. He discovered the answer when he was handcuffed and arrested.

Once at the Comanche County Detention Center, Jerome said, “I just wanted to be done with the house, I didn’t do it for insurance purposes or anything,” the affidavit states.

Jerome has a prior felony conviction from August for a count of second-degree burglary.

Held on $25,000 bond, Jerome returns to court at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 23, 2025, for his preliminary hearing.