The State Fire Marshal’s Office arrested a Hammond woman for setting an apartment unit on fire with surrounding units occupied.
27 YO Verlisia Hookfin was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on two counts of Aggravated Arson and one count each of Simple Arson and Simple Criminal Damage to Property.
In the early morning hours of November 24, the Hammond Fire Department responded to the 2700 block of Rue St. Martin for a report of a house fire. Deputies determined the fire originated in a bedroom and was intentionally set. The day before the fire, Hookfin and her girlfriend ended their relationship and Hookfin went to stay somewhere else. However, witness statements indicated Hookfin returned to the apartment in the middle of the night. While there, a disturbance between the women occurred, causing the ex-girlfriend to leave. Shortly after, fire and smoke were discovered coming from the apartment and witness statements identified Hookfin as leaving the apartment around the same time. In an interview with deputies, Hookfin admitted to being in the apartment when the fire began.
