A 39-year-old Odessa woman was arrested Thursday after failing to appear in court in her pending arson case.
According to an Odessa Fire Rescue report, firefighters were notified about an apartment complex fire around 9 p.m. Jan. 5, 2021 and when they arrived they found one unit had been damaged. They also learned the unit had no electricity or gas service.
A man told investigators that prior to the fire his next-door neighbor, Antonia Rosalinda Martinez, had been yelling and acting strangely, according to the report. She said someone was in the apartment bothering her, but the apartment was empty. Several minutes later, the man said another man came to tell him Martinez’s apartment was on fire.
That man told investigators he’d seen Martinez asking someone for her lighter while outside. A few minutes later, the man said he saw Martinez leave her apartment and then a few minutes after that, he saw smoke and flames coming from her apartment.
Ector County District Court records show Martinez was indicted on Feb. 7, 2022, on a first-degree felony charge of arson intend damage habitat/place of worship.
She was released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond, but court records show she failed to show up for a March 24 hearing. Her bond is now set at $40,000.
