The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office charged a Morgantown woman with arson, saying she set a fire in early November in the Brookhaven area.
Amber McKinney, 23, is charged with first-degree arson.
About 11:15 a.m. Nov. 2, there was a fire on Nuce Lane at the property of Timothy and Mary Miller, according to a criminal complaint. The building was a reclaimed barn used as a small apartment, work shop, storage area and office.
McKinney lived in the apartment until Oct. 29, when the Millers, her foster parents, made her move back into the main house, the complaint said.
In an interview, McKinney said she set fire to a balled up piece of paper under a curtain covering the inside of a door, according to the complaint. She said the fire spread to the curtain before catching the entire structure on fire.
“Amber said that she was upset with her foster mother (Mary Miller) for reading her diary and not allowing her to have friends,” the complaint said.
McKinney removed some personal items from the building before setting it on fire and said she set the fire because “she was mad at her foster mother,” the complaint said.
McKinney is being held in North Central Regional Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond.
