A Russellville man has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a fire at a Russellville mobile home in October 2019.
Dylan Moore, 30, pleaded guilty during a hearing before Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker to misdemeanor charges of knowingly burning or exploding, second-degree property damage and second-degree harassment.
Prosecutors amended those charges from second-degree arson, first-degree property damage and first-degree harassment.
Moore was placed on two years of unsupervised probation and ordered to complete drug counseling and batterer's intervention.
The home in the 4900 block of Johnston Street was owned by Moore and two others, according to a probable cause statement from the Missouri Division of Fire Safety.
The fire originated in the center of the home, near the front door. Investigators determined the cause for the fire was "incendiary, by available materials."
One of the home's occupants told authorities she had begun receiving threatening messages from Moore shortly after she left for work.
Moore sent a picture text message to the woman, showing a room inside the home on fire. It was followed one minute later by another text message that stated the woman needed to tell Moore she loved him. Another text message from Moore followed and stated, "So we r dun."
Moore then sent a picture to the woman via Facebook Messenger, which showed the fire but with more lightweight combustibles added.
Authorities said Moore sent another text message to the woman that said, "I set the house on fire." Another text message followed, saying, "My room burned up, and I'm going to jail."
By the time firefighters arrived, the home was engulfed in flames and destroyed.
Authorities questioned Moore, who told investigators he had used a lighter to start the fire in one room and extinguished it with water, then started another fire with papers in the living room. He then took clothing from the bedroom and added it to the fire and left the home through the front door. Moore also said he had broken several windows in the home before setting the fires.