A woman is in custody after state officials said she may have unwittingly set fire to a dumpster at the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton this week.
The suspect, a 42-year-old woman, was arrested by officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Paxton’s office tweeted Thursday.
Paxton’s office said the woman was filmed throwing what appeared to be a lit cigarette into a trash can on Wednesday night.
“The DPS questioned the suspect about possible political motivations for this crime and has made a preliminary determination that the fire was unintentional,” Paxton said in an online statement. “Employees who work in this building could have been injured or killed if this fire had not been detected early.”
Video shows start of dumpster fire
No one was injured, officials said, and Paxton’s office did not release the woman’s name or where she was from.
She is charged with criminal mischief at or above $25,000 but less than $30,000, state officials reported.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers the latest news and trends for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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