21-year-old set ex’s cabin on fire in Grand Canyon, officials say. He’s prison-bound
A 21-year-old from Arizona is going to prison after he admitted to setting his ex-girlfriend’s Grand Canyon cabin on fire, federal officials said.
Dahntay Dunbar of Flagstaff was sentenced to 20 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, and he must also pay more than $20,000 in restitution, the District Attorney’s Office of Arizona said in an Oct. 1 news release.
Dunbar pleaded guilty to an arson charge in Grand Canyon National Park on July 8, officials said in the release.
The arson occurred sometime “between the late night of May 17, 2024 and the early morning of May 18, 2024” when Dunbar “pushed his way into a locked cabin within the national park” where his ex-girlfriend lived, prosecutors said.
His ex wasn’t home, and he found a bottle of clear liquor that he dumped out onto a bed, officials said. Then he lit one of his ex’s shirts on fire, dropped it on the liquor-soaked bed and left as it started to burn, according to investigators.
“The fire caused scorching, burn damage, and smoke damage to the walls, ceiling, and other parts of the cabin,” officials said.
A passerby noticed the flames and managed to put most of the fire out before firefighters arrived, prosecutors said.
National Park Service rangers arrested Dunbar on other charges shortly after, and that’s when he admitted to the arson, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 3:13 PM with the headline "21-year-old set ex’s cabin on fire in Grand Canyon, officials say. He’s prison-bound."
