A teenager whose parents had recently kicked him out of his
house at La Roda Court was arrested for setting that home on fire,
police said.
A teenager whose parents had recently kicked him out of his house at La Roda Court was arrested for setting that home on fire, police said.
Cody Dennis, 19, of Morgan Hill, was arrested by Morgan Hill police and the Santa Clara County arson investigator on suspicion of arson and animal cruelty, shortly after firefighters extinguished the blaze that caused significant damage to the residence at 15915 La Roda Court, according to Sgt. Jerry Neumayer.
The animal cruelty charge stems from the death of two house cats who burned inside the home, Neumayer said.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department responded to the fire about 9:30 a.m. Aug. 21. When engines first arrived, flames were shooting out a front window of the two-story home with an attached three-car garage. About 15 minutes later, smoke and flames could be seen coming out from under the second story eaves.
The blaze was initially called in as a two-alarm fire, according to SCCFD Chief Joe Parker. Six engines, a truck, two battalion chiefs and a hazardous materials unit responded but some were canceled enroute when firefighters on the first engine found the home empty, he said.
Before crews could extinguish the fire, it caused about $50,000 in property damage, plus another $50,000 damage to the building’s contents.
Police said Dennis had previously lived at the home with his parents, who kicked him out several days prior to the blaze for unknown reasons. He was apparently upset with his parents for kicking him out, Neumayer said.
Dennis was initially arrested by the county arson investigator, and MHPD officers added the animal cruelty charge.
County arson investigator Jeremy Davis did not return phone calls requesting more details. The District Attorney’s office did not immediately return a phone call.
