Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Woman Pleads Not Guilty in Lingerie Store Fire in Dana Point
Jennifer Renee Cowell, 42, of Dana Point is charged with felony arson of property at Intimate Obsessions on Tuesday.
A 42-year-old woman pleaded not guilty today to trying to set a Dana Point lingerie store on fire -- by torching gifts an ex-boyfriend bought her at the shop.
Jennifer Renee Colwell of Dana Point is charged with felony arson of
property.
About 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, a sheriff's deputy saw the attempted arson at
34183 Pacific Coast Highway, according to Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
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Colwell allegedly put items her ex-boyfriend bought for her at the store into a pillowcase, then soaked it with gas before setting it ablaze and hurling it at the business, Amormino said.
"She was apparently distraught over a failed relationship,'' Amormino
said. "Luckily the deputy was right there because the flames hit six feet
high.''
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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters doused the blaze before it
could spread beyond some bushes, Amormino said.
Colwell was set to return to court Oct. 12 for a pretrial hearing.
--City News Service