MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A family fight in Frayser on Monday ended with a fire that police said was intentionally set.
Police said a man told family members not to sleep at the house on Pamela Drive and threatened to set the Frayser house on fire. They said he didn’t go that far but did do some property damage.
Carl Parson Sr. said Monday night he was inside his house watching TV when he saw a bright light outside and realized his 2010 Chevy Cobalt was on fire.
“It went up just like that,” Parson Sr. said. “I seen a great ball of fire and went up just like that.”
When firefighters got to the house, the car was already engulfed in flames.
Parson Sr. said unfortunately he knew right away his son was responsible.
“He had sent a text, I didn’t take him seriously,” he said. “I said, ‘Man, come on, you ain’t going to do it.'”
Police said 22-year-old Carl Parson Jr. sent messages to his father before, during and after the fire, threatening to start more fires at the house and that his aunt was next.
In May, Parson Jr. was arrested for pulling a butcher knife on the same aunt and threatening to kill her.
His dad said this time, his son wanted money.
“He was more upset at me, trying to prove a point to me,” Parson Sr. said. “I said, ‘Well, you know you’re not going to do something.’ It was just a point he was trying to prove.”
Parson Sr. said that while he’s upset about his car, he’s more concerned about his son’s well-being.
“The car’s not the issue,” he said. “I can get another car. I just want him to get mental help that he needs.”
Right now, Parson Jr. is being held in jail without bond. He’s set to face a judge Friday.
