Police: Oakland County Man Arrested After Setting Wife On Fire

HOLLY (WWJ) - A 55-year-old man is behind bars after allegedly dousing his wife in gasoline and setting her on fire in northern Oakland County.

The incident unfolded around 6:45 p.m. Monday at the Holly Village Mobile Home Park along Grange Hall and North Holly roads in Holly.

"She explained to our officers that her husband had poured gasoline on her, or shook gasoline on her, and lit her on fire," Police Chief Mike Story told WWJ's Ron Dewey.

Story said the 56-year-old woman escaped after jumping through a window of the couple's mobile home and ran to a neighbor's home for safety.

Police set up a perimeter and after talking to the woman about what happened, officers turned their attention to her husband.

"One of the officers found a phone number for the responsible and within five minutes was able to talk him into opening the front door, at which time he was taken into custody," said Story.

The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment of burns and lacerations.

"She sustained some burns to one of her legs," said Story. "The exact extent, they're non-life threatening. She's expected to recover."

Circumstances leading to the incident weren't immediately clear, but Story said their argument got way out of hand.

"Just a husband and wife going at it. I can't disclosed what the problem was, but it was a domestic situation that got really, really out of hand," he said.

The man, whose name was not released, remains in custody at the Oakland County Jail. Charges are pending.