| Updated: 10/20/2009 10:42 pm |
Published: 10/20/2009 9:05 pm |
A Saline County developer pleads not guilty to setting his west Little Rock home on fire. Aaron Jones faces five felony counts related to the May 2008 fire where he told police he was bound with duct tape by armed intruders.
33-year-old Aaron Jones left the federal courthouse Tuesday accused of setting his home on fire to collect a hefty insurance settlement. "He doesn't have anything to say on my advice," Jones’ attorney Tim Dudley said. Dudley says he expects most of the evidence against his client to come out before trial.
Jones told police someone bound and gagged him at his Chenal Circle home back in may 2008. And that he managed to crawl out after the intruder set the house on fire. In addition to arson, the government charged Jones this month with three counts of mail fraud resulting from his attempt to collect more than 2-million dollars from his insurance policy.
As for Jones house in the Chenal neighborhood, nearly a year and a half later it's still not in livable condition. As for neighbors, most don't talk about the case now. It's a mix of those who don't believe his story and those who don't want to believe the worst."
“He's innocent and any innocent person who gets charged with a crime is going to be outraged," Dudley said.
Jones trial is set for next month, but his attorney says it will likely be pushed back to some time next spring.
"I think he's in good spirits and ready to fight," Dudley said.
The federal indictment against Jones shows that his checking account was $17,000 overdrawn weeks before the fire. In interviews days after the fire, Jones maintained his finances were in good shape.
