Jefferson County prosecutors on Friday formally charged a 19-year-old with setting a fire that destroyed four units in a Lakewood condominium complex.
Jalen Berg faces 19 counts of attempted first-degree murder with extreme indifference, three counts of first-degree arson and multiple other charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief, according to court records.
Berg around 8 p.m. on Aug. 16. At least four units at the complex, at 5745 W. Atlantic Place, were destroyed.
Berg was arrested the next night after he was treated and released from a local hospital.
According to the arrest affidavit, 14 people, including a 1-month-old girl, were home when the fire quickly spread through the complex.
Berg lived in the condo with his father, James Berg, and two other women, according to the affidavit. Earlier that night, Jalen Berg and his father were arguing because Berg did not pick his father up from work earlier that evening.
James Berg told investigators that as he was leaving the apartment to “give Jalen some time to cool off,” his son lunged toward him with a knife. Jalen then allegedly pushed his father down and hit him several times with a baseball bat, according to the affidavit.
Then Jalen Berg and one of the women left the condo.
Berg’s father also left the condo and drove to Home Depot to buy new locks. When he returned, James Berg saw black smoke billowing from his home, according to the affidavit.
Jalen Berg and the woman allegedly returned to the unit while his father was out. The woman told officers that she saw Berg throw something at the dryer before the hallway erupted in flames.
The two escaped the fire by crawling through a broken window next to the door.
Berg later denied started the fire and said the only thing he threw toward the dryer was clothes.
During an interview with investigators, Berg said he saw smoke coming from under the water heater, which is next to the dryer, before the water heater exploded, according to the affidavit.
But during a search of the charred unit, investigators found the water heater and furnace intact. They also found that several items appeared to have been piled up behind the front door and evidence that fires had been set in several rooms of the home.
Berg’s next court appearance has been scheduled for Aug. 30.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794, jsteffen@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jsteffendp
