A woman stepping outside for a cigarette break at a Green River Loaf N' Jug late Sunday night found herself calling 911 on a man who allegedly smashed out a glass door with his head, set a nearby salon on fire and tried to set another fire because the “many different voices” in his head told him to, including Adolph Hitler.
The suspect, identified in court documents made available Tuesday as Juan Pablo Rodriguez, now faces a felony arson charge after police say he confessed to breaking into Scissorhands Salon and starting a fire.
These events unfolded just before midnight on Sunday, according to an affidavit filed by Green River Police Officer Zachary Owens.
‘Call 911’
The Loaf N' Jug employee told police she had stepped outside to smoke when she heard the sound of breaking glass nearby. Moments later, she saw a man walking toward her.
That man — later identified as Rodriguez — reportedly told her she needed to call 911 because “he had just used his head to break some glass,” Owens wrote.
The employee told Rodriguez to go inside the convenience store while she contacted the authorities.
While she was on the phone with emergency services, she heard Rodriguez say that police also needed to hurry because he needed them there “to prevent him from starting a fire.”
When officers arrived, they found Rodriguez lying on the floor near the Loaf N' Jug entrance.
At nearly the same time, another officer spotted flames burning on the north side of the nearby salon.
7 Feet Flames
The Green River Fire Department responded and put out the blaze with two fire extinguishers, Owens wrote, adding that the flames were roughly "7 feet tall."
Inside the salon, police found a burned metal-framed chair with a foam cushion, a trash can and cardboard boxes still smoldering.
Green River Fire Chief Robinson told police the salon interior had filled with smoke and there would likely be smoke damage throughout the business, the affidavit says.
The Scissorhands Salon owner told officers the back door had not been damaged the previous night.
Investigators also found shattered glass around the salon’s back door. Nearby were several metal pipes, along with circular dents in a wooden door that officers believed matched the pipes’ circumference, the affidavit said.
When Owens asked Rodriguez whether he started the fire, the suspect said he had.
The Voices Told Him
While taking to the police, Rodriguez allegedly pulled a lighter and napkin from his pocket and attempted to light the napkin on fire in front of them, Owens wrote. An officer immediately stopped him and confiscated the lighter.
Rodriguez told police he was homeless, had arrived in Green River two days earlier and traveled by railroad.
He also told investigators he hears “many different voices” in his head and that those voices instructed him to start the fire.
According to the affidavit, Rodriguez confessed to breaking into the salon and using the lighter to ignite the blaze.
Owens also wrote that Rodriguez “would randomly start talking about Germany and that he speaks with Hitler.”
At another point, Rodriguez allegedly told officers he was headed to California because the voices told him to rob a bank there.
Charged With Felony Arson
Rodriguez made his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in Sweetwater County Circuit Court.
He is charged with third-degree arson, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He also faces a misdemeanor property defacement charge that carries a possible additional six months in jail.
Court records show Rodriguez is being held in the Sweetwater County Detention Center on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 27.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
