Rockford man arrested after allegedly trying to burn down neighbor's apartment door with AR-15-style blowtorch
Shawn Genz, 51, is charged with aggravated arson and residential arson after allegedly using a blowtorch to try to force his way into a neighbor's apartment on Florida Drive early Thursday morning.
ROCKFORD, Ill. — A Rockford man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to burn down a neighbor's apartment door with a blowtorch early Thursday morning, Rockford police said.
Officers responded to an apartment complex on Florida Drive after 4 a.m. Thursday on an arson call. According to police, a neighbor told officers that he had gotten into a physical fight with his next-door neighbor, Shawn Genz, 51, before another person intervened to separate them.
Police allege that after the altercation, Genz returned to the neighbor's apartment with a blowtorch and attempted to burn the door to force his way inside.
During a sweep of Genz's apartment, officers discovered a blowtorch styled in the shape of an AR-15 rifle hidden in a backroom closet.
Genz was taken into police custody and charged with aggravated arson, residential arson, and arson resulting in damage to personal property worth more than $150.
He is being held at the Winnebago County Jail and is scheduled to appear for a pretrial detention hearing.