Inset: Clinton Hadley (St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office). Background: The 1900 block of Chilton Drive in Baytown, Texas, where Clinton Hadley allegedly set a house on fire with his dad inside (Google Maps).
A man from Texas is facing accusations of leaving his father — who was unable to walk — trapped inside their burning house after igniting the fire. Firefighters discovered the 73-year-old’s body in a bathtub; he had attempted to call 911 for help.
“Floyd was able to make a 911 call … in which he advised that his residence was on fire and he could not get out,” states Clinton Hadley’s criminal complaint. This document was filed in Harris County on Thursday following his father Floyd Hadley’s death at their home on July 21 on the 1900 block of Chilton Drive in Baytown.
The blaze, which erupted on Monday afternoon, was allegedly initiated by Clinton Hadley, 40, at approximately 3:37 p.m., flaring up within “seconds” as he fled, as indicated by video footage captured by a neighbor’s security camera and police. An inspection of the home revealed the gas meter “appeared to be broken or possibly tampered with,” the complaint reports.
Following his arrest later that day, Hadley allegedly confessed to authorities his intentions to “burn the house down and get away from his family.” He was apprehended by law enforcement in the vicinity of Slidell, Louisiana, about 30 miles from New Orleans, after he traveled there and allegedly attempted to set a business on fire, as per police reports.
The complaint also notes Hadley allegedly has a “documented history of welfare concerns” and incidents. One such incident involved his aunt calling the police for a welfare check when Hadley reportedly began making threatening statements the night before the fire.
“[Hadley] is schizophrenic and was talking about setting the house on fire,” the complaint says, citing his aunt’s 911 call. “[First responders] found the residence engulfed in flames on their arrival.”
Police say security footage from Hadley’s neighbor shows him leaving the burning home and “jumping the perimeter fence” before entering a Toyota Corolla and fleeing. He was arrested in Louisiana after allegedly threatening to burn a building down if an employee inside didn’t give him gas money.
During his police interviews, cops say Hadley admitted to “knowingly and intentionally” setting fire to furniture at his home in Baytown where Floyd Hadley was found dead, per the complaint.
Hadley was booked in Louisiana and charged with remaining in a place after being forbidden, resisting arrest and terrorizing. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has filed a murder charge against him for the fire and Baytown Police Department officials are working with Louisiana authorities to extradite Hadley to Texas, according to the officials.
