CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — An 18-year-old in Cleveland County has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and arson, officials confirmed.
Shelby Police said a home was set on fire in the 500 block of Forest Hill Drive Friday morning.
Two people were inside, and officials say both were hurt but able to get out of the house. They were taken to a hospital, treated and released. A cat died inside the home.
Police Chief Jeff Ledford said the couple inside the home created their own escape route as the flames spread.
"They had to take a lamp, I believe it was, and bust the window out on the backside of the house and get out," he said.
The intense heat cracked the bedroom windows and melted the shutters of the house next door.
Chief Ledford said the suspect, Zanden Cox, set fire to the house thinking it belonged to a girl who he was having a conflict with, but it was the wrong house.
The chief said it's the latest example in the region of young people resorting too quickly to violence.
"Slow down; think about what you're doing," Chief Ledford said. "Think about the recourse, and you think about the impact that you could have on people."
The Shelby Fire Chief said the suspect used a gallon of gasoline and poured it on vehicles to help accelerate the fire.
Cox was placed in Cleveland County jail with a bond of $250,000 which was raised to $1 million during his first court appearance Monday morning.
He was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree arson, and cruelty to animals.
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