A Texas man accused of intentionally setting two houses on fire earlier this month and getting into a standoff with police has received additional charges against him.
Pablo Patino-Bustos, 27, is accused of setting fire to his in-law’s house, on Tuesday, January 3, where his estranged wife, her daughter, and four other family members lived. He allegedly intentionally set fire to the house at 3:30 am, to lure his wife out of the house, where he was waiting for her inside a car.
When his wife eventually evacuated the burning house, Patino allegedly hit her with his vehicle.
His wife’s brother, Logan Saldana, said he was trying to put out the fire using an extinguisher when he heard her screaming outside. He told the police that he heard her asking what was going on, and then Patino drove off.
Saldana said he heard the vehicle brakes screeching and then the vehicle turned around and hit her before the driver fled.
Patino managed to stay out of police radar for two days before the law finally caught up with him.
According to the police, on January 5, two days after the fire at his wife’s family’s house, Patino’s wife thought her husband was out of town and wanted to get some of her belongings from their home on Lotus Blossom Street. Because her husband was not in custody, she asked the police to escort her to their home in case the man was still there.
Captain Vicente Medina from Harris County Precinct 4 said they knew who Patino was and that he was a violent man, so they agreed to escort her.
Upon arrival at the house, the officers entered to make sure no one was there, but they spotted Patino in the hallway. According to the police, the man ran to a back room and announced that he had a firearm.
The officers immediately left the home and called for backup.
It was not long before other officers arrived, and a standoff followed. Officers arrived at around 2 pm, and according to authorities, Patino started a fire in the home a couple of hours later.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of Harris County said Patino was finally arrested at around 5:40 pm. Officers saw him climbing out of a window and quickly arrested him when he got to the ground.
The man never once engaged with the police during the long standoff and only came out of the home after the heat from the fire became unbearable.
While the home was burning, firefighters protected the surrounding homes from catching fire, so no other homes were damaged, and no injuries were reported.
Patino’s estranged wife said that the damage to her parent’s house was extensive, and she felt responsible for inviting her husband into their lives.
In addition to the initial charges of violating a protective order, setting fire to a home, and aggravated assault, Patino was also charged with terroristic threats and arson. A judge set his bond at $4.5 million.
