Kingston woman charged with arson following fire at Knights Inn

A local woman has been arrested and charged following the fire at the Knights Inn motel on Princess Street yesterday.

According to Kingston Police, the fire at the midtown motel was reported at approximately 10:35 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. Police responded to the scene with Kingston Fire and Rescue.

Upon arrival, police spoke with the male victim, who have been asleep in the motel room when the fire had started. The man awoke to sounds of a smoke detector going off and observed smoke coming from the bathroom before immediately calling 9-1-1, police said in a press release on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.

Police then learned that the accused woman had stayed with the man in his motel room the previous night. According to police, the two had been involved in a sporadic relationship.

“Further investigation revealed that the accused had intentionally lit a fire in the motel bathroom before leaving the room while the victim was still asleep,” police said. “Witnesses had observed the accused running from the motel shortly before the fire had been reported.”

Police located the accused woman at approximately 3 p.m. that day just a short distance from the motel at a bus stop at the Kingston Centre. The woman was immediately arrested, and further investigation found that, on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019, the woman and the victim had been involved in a domestic incident when she stayed with him at his apartment. During that incident, the woman struck the victim in the face several times.

The 41-year-old Kingston woman was charged with arson, assault, and four counts of breach of probation.

Damages from the fire are estimated at $10,000 according to Kingston Fire and Rescue.