MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man was charged with arson after police say he barricaded himself in a northeast Memphis motel room and set the room on fire just after midnight Friday.
Officers responded to a 911 hangup call at the Woodspring Suites on Shelby Oaks near Interstate 40, where they tried to get suspect Timothy Yarbrough out of a room.
Yarbrough refused to come out and officers heard him moving large pieces of furniture in front of the door. He eventually did come out, but the door locked behind him and he told police he didn’t have the key.
Inside, Memphis Fire Department officials said, Yarbrough had laid bath towels on top of two stove burners and turned them on, filling the room with smoke.
The fire department put out the fire and officers placed Yarbrough under arrest. Officers found his room key once he was placed in the squad car.
