Trying to set woman's car afire with a torch wasn't all man did, sheriff's office says

Using a propane torch, a Tuolumne County man tried to set a neighbor's car on fire, then threw the burning torch at her, the Sheriff's Office reported.

A resident of Birch Street in the community of Tuolumne reported she was home alone Sunday afternoon when neighbor Craig Williams, 53, displayed shotgun shells to her, threatened her life and called her a "stupid b----." He put paper on the roof of her car and tried to light it, and then threw the lighted torch at her residence, she said.

She told the emergency dispatcher that she didn't know if the torch remained lighted and that she was afraid to go outside while Williams remained standing in his yard. She said she had a .45-caliber gun and would use it if necessary, according to the incident report.

The report was made about 5 p.m. Deputies arrived and tried several times to contact Williams, but he would not come to his door, said Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Andrea Benson. "He was seen leaving in a taxi and deputies were able to pull it over and arrest him just before midnight."

Williams faces charges of arson, making terrorist threats and assault with a deadly weapon, Benson said.

This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Trying to set woman's car afire with a torch wasn't all man did, sheriff's office says."