Man allegedly sets house on fire to collect on insurance

DEEP RUN — A Newport man was charged with second-degree arson after allegedly setting his vacant house on fire.
Authorities believe the older model mobile home was destroyed to defraud the homeowners insurance company of $24,500.
Corneilio Perez, 48, of 181 Hibbs Road Extension, was arrested Friday for the arson charge, as well as accessory before the fact to a felony and obtaining property by false pretense.
The fire happened about 2 p.m. on Feb. 24 at 3829 N.C. 11 South in Deep Run.
Deep Run, Sandy Bottom and Southwood fire departments were dispatched and extinguished the fire, but the residence was a total loss.
The Lenoir County Fire Marshal’s Office, Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, State Bureau of Investigation arson agents and N.C. Department of Insurance conducted an investigation as to the cause of the fire. No utilities were on when the house was set ablaze.
The fire was ruled as a suspected arson. Perez was renting to own the house.
Based on the investigation, Detective A. Seymour of the LCSO Criminal Investigations Division confronted Perez, who provided a full confession and admitted that he had set the house on fire to collect the insurance money.
“Greed is the primary motivator in this case,” Sheriff Chris Hill said. “What concerns me is the jeopardy that is involved as it concerns the lives of our dedicated volunteer firefighters. They risk their lives to extinguish these fires for no compensation because of their desire to protect the lives of the citizens of Lenoir County.”
Perez was confined in the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Detention Center under a $45,000 secured bond.
“I am very pleased with all of the investigators for their dedication to solving this crime,” Hill said. “These types of incidents are very difficult to prove and they require many hours of work to complete, but in this case, it was worth the effort.”