A Lansdale woman has been charged with arson and related offenses after she allegedly set fire to her ex-husband’s home earlier this week.
Gina Calisto, 45, has been charged with felony counts of arson, arson- endangering property – reckless endangerment of inhabited buildings, risking catastrophe and criminal mischief, in connection with a residential fire on Winding Road that occurred late Monday morning.
Crews were dispatched to the scene at 10:42 a.m. on Oct. 18 for a report of a fire at a single-family home. According to Emergency Alerts of Southeastern Pennsylvania — a culling site on Facebook that monitors dispatch and radio traffic, as well as provides updates to active incidents — the 9-1-1 caller was hysterical, telling dispatch that the entire house was on fire, and they were unable to evacuate.
Upon arrival, members of the Fairmount Fire Company found light smoke showing from the home and quickly located a fire in the living room of the home. The lone occupant — identified as Calisto — exited the home, and the fire was placed under control at 10:57 a.m.
Investigators said that Calisto made multiple unsolicited
statements to police, including that she intentionally set fire to the home
using toilet paper and that she was a pyromaniac. The owner of the home —
identified as Calisto’s ex-husband — then arrived to the scene, stating that he
had returned home after receiving a voicemail from Calisto stating she had set
his house on fire, according to the complaint.
The fire marshal said the home sustained significant damage in excess of
$5,000, and the dwelling is currently uninhabitable.
Calisto was taken into custody and arraigned by District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $25,000 cash. She was then taken to county jail in lieu of bail, and her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Levine on Oct. 27 at 12:45 p.m.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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Local Landscaper Charged with Deceptive Business Practices, Failure to Perform Services
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