Chad Alonzo, accused of assaulting his girlfriend and then setting her apartment on fire, was formally charged Tuesday with first-degree arson, criminal mischief and third-degree assault, according to the Denver District Attorney.
His bond was set at $50,000 and he remains in the Denver jail, where he has been since turning himself in to police on Saturday.
Alonzo will appear in Denver County court Thursday morning to be formally advised of the charges.
DA spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough said the charge allege Alonzo entered the 23-year-old woman’s home in the 3400 block of West 18th Avenue early Friday morning and struck her. When the woman fled the apartment, Alonzo allegedly set the fire and then ran away.
The woman suffered minor injuries, Kimbrough said.
Police responding to reports of domestic violence at about 3:30 a.m. found the apartment on fire.
Denver Fire Department spokesman Lt. Phil Champagne said crews were able to extinguish the fire in about 15 minutes and prevent the fire from spreading into the seven other units at the complex. No one was injured by the fire.
The unit where the blaze started was heavily damaged, and two other units in the complex were damaged by smoke, he said.
According to the DA, the fire caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
