PA man indicted for fire targeting family

A 37-year-old Port Arthur man accused of setting fire to a building occupied by his wife and teenage sons was indicted May 25 for arson.

According to a probable cause affidavit penned by Antonio Mitchell of the Port Arthur Fire Department (PAFD), Josue Israel Gutierrez’s wife told investigators her husband had problems abusing drugs before he set fire to an apartment they were using to get away from his belligerence. Once Gutierrez allegedly became violent May 9 with his wife and children, they retreated into the garage apartment.

“This is the same property that Mr. Gutierrez set on fire May 9,” Mitchell wrote. “There is video showing Mr. Gutierrez walked up the stairs to the garage apartment. (He) is seen trying to kick the door in, but he was unable to. So, he entered into the garage apartment through the window on the front door.”

Officers say Gutierrez can be seen leaving the apartment just minutes before the fire is observed in the video. Officers arrested him May 10, and, as of press time, he was listed on the Jefferson County inmate roster with a $6,000 bond.