Police: Penn State student set dorm fire to annoy girlfriend
STATE COLLEGE (AP) – A Penn State student was jailed on charges he set a small fire in the stairwell of his girlfriend’s dormitory in hopes it would trigger an alarm and annoy her.
The Centre Daily Times reported 18-year-old Doylestown resident Benjamin Bishop was arrested after police found burned paper and a charred pack of cigarettes near a stairwell in Simmons Hall.
Police said surveillance video showed Bishop burning the items.
Police said Bishop told them he argued with his girlfriend and was drinking and hadn’t taken his anxiety medication. Police said Bishop hoped the fire would cause the building to be evacuated to “annoy” his girlfriend.
He faces a preliminary hearing Aug. 12. Online court records don’t list an attorney for him.