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Posted on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 7:02 p.m.

Man accused of setting ex-girlfriend's home on fire going to trial in January

By Kyle Feldscher

The Dearborn Heights man accused of setting his ex-girlfriend’s home on fire while she and her two children were inside will go to trial in January.

Akil Alexander, 29, is accused of setting a small portion of the home on Maplelawn Drive in Ypsilanti Township on fire after the woman who lived there broke off a relationship with him. Alexander was in Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Archie Brown’s courtroom Wednesday, and his trial will begin at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 3.

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Akil Alexander

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to the home at about 1:30 a.m. April 10 after receiving a report of a loud explosion. Deputies found a small portion of the exterior of the home had been set on fire.

It took Ypsilanti Township firefighters about 10 minutes to put the fire out after they arrived on scene.

The blaze caused thousands of dollars in damage, according to fire officials. Residents of the home, which included two children, were unharmed and evacuated.

Alexander faces one charge of arson of a dwelling. If convicted, Alexander faces up to 20 years in prison. He is being held at the Washtenaw County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Comments

Tru2Blu76

Thu, Sep 29, 2011 : 5:37 a.m.

Endangering children: no joke. "Love" - is not burning children alive because their mom wants you to go. Handling rejection is a responsibility - not an excuse for behaviors. And I don't buy the "he set a small portion of the home on fire" ploy, either. Alexander SET A HOUSE on fire. Lets think of ourselves as the target for such amateur "spontaneous" arsonists. What would we think if he had "set a small portion" of OUR home on fire? Fire does not operate on a "portional" basis.

John A2

Thu, Sep 29, 2011 : 12:50 a.m.

Also there isn't much we can do. The judge can sentence this guy and send him up the river for a hundred years, and the pain of loss he is experiencing will be worst.

John A2

Thu, Sep 29, 2011 : 12:45 a.m.

So, she lost her fire for him, and he tried to rekindle it. I know it's not the right time for joking around, but I couldn't help myself. Love is the ultimate emotion, and some people are just too emotional and missing the tools to deal with what ever it was he needed to deal with. Remember our past where mighty wars were started over the love of a women; there are literally over a million songs about it. Actually there are as many songs about love as there are people who experienced it. The pain of separation is unmatched. Look at Akil, he is not there, he looks as if he lost his everything he ever wanted. If only we could love each other like he loved her, if only....