BOX ELDER, S.D. – A Box Elder man was arrested after being found in a home he allegedly set on fire.
Robert Verner was on furlough from the Pennington County Jail and police received word he was inside a home in the 600 block of Box Elder Rd. West.
Friday evening, The Emergency Services Communications Center received a call from Verner’s longtime girlfriend at approximately 5 p.m. and reported that he had assaulted her and was currently inside their house — threatening to set it on fire if law enforcement were to show up. Law enforcement arrived, and shortly after, they noticed the smell of gasoline. Fire crews were called in as the home caught fire.
Fire crews extinguished the blaze and Verner was found wrapped in plastic and sitting in water in a crawl space under the house. He was taken into custody and treated for hypothermia on scene. He was then taken by ambulance to Monument Health for evaluation.
Verner currently faces one count of Arson in the 1st degree, one count of Simple Assault Domestic Violence and two counts of Intentional Damage to Private Property.
