A Williamsburg man is in custody after police say he attempted to burn down his own home in an insurance fraud scheme — twice.
According to Maj. Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department, 44-year-old Dennis Wade Tooley is suspected of starting a house fire at his residence in the 200 block of Thomas Nelson Lane on Nov. 1, 2016.
The Williamsburg Fire Department and Williamsburg Police responded to the fire shortly after 8 p.m. Two people and six dogs were displaced as a result of the fire, but Tooley was eventually able to move back into his home.
On Monday evening, police were called to investigate another fire at Tooley’s residence. The investigating officer determined that the fire in November and the fire Monday were both “intentionally set” by Tooley, Riley said.
There were no major injuries as a result of Monday’s fire, Riley said.
Tooley was arrested and transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail where he was charged with two counts of arson and two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, one count for each fire.
