Security footage from Port Orchard shows a man allegedly setting fire to a home while riding a golf cart, leaving investigators with one of the more unusual vehicle-related cases of the year.
Golf carts have appeared in plenty of strange news stories over the years. This one may require its own category.
A Washington man is facing criminal charges after security footage allegedly showed him using a torch to ignite a fire while riding a golf cart in Port Orchard. The Aug. 4 fire destroyed a home and detached garage in the 2700 block of Locker Road SE, according to reporting cited by Yahoo News. The homeowner, who was not publicly identified, escaped after his son received an alert from a Ring security camera and called him.
Authorities identified 47-year-old Shawn Hinson from video recorded around the property. He was allegedly riding a golf cart accompanied by a corgi and carrying two torches. Police arrested Hinson, who has been charged with first-degree arson and second-degree assault.
Neighbors Dan and Anita Carlson witnessed portions of the incident and attempted to warn the homeowner. Dan Carlson said he confronted Hinson, who allegedly claimed he was with the fire department. Carlson also told authorities that Hinson later attempted to attack him with a torch while driving the golf cart toward him.
Court filings cited in the report state that Hinson acknowledged consuming marijuana edibles and Jack Daniel’s before the incident. The motive behind the fire remains unclear. For the homeowner, the circumstances are almost secondary to what came next: the loss of a residence and garage and the enormous task of rebuilding.
The golf cart itself is obviously not the central cause of the alleged crime, but its appearance in the incident gives an already startling case another bizarre detail. These vehicles have become common transportation in neighborhoods and rural properties, which means they occasionally appear in police reports involving everything from theft to impaired driving. Using one while allegedly carrying torches and setting a residential fire, however, is far from the usual blotter entry.
Hinson is awaiting trial.
