A Nampa man has been released on his own recognizance after police say he set a gasoline-fueled blaze in his apartment, then fled to another state.
Tim Ferency, 49, is charged with first-degree arson in connection to the Aug. 7 fire at the Washington Avenue fourplex where he lived.
According to court documents, a man driving by spotted smoke coming out of the eaves of the building and called 911 at 7:25 a.m. Aug. 7.
Fire crews with Nampa Fire responded, and worked to put the fire out, ultimately extinguishing it. A fire investigator called out to the scene to figure out how the blaze began noted some suspicious details, according to court documents.
The investigator determined that the fire had started on the floor of a bedroom closet in one of the apartments. Even after the fire was out that closet had "a strong odor of gasoline," according to court documents, and a red gas can had been left sitting on the closet shelf. The nozzle to the gas container was lying in the apartment's sink.
Furthermore, according to investigators, all the windows to the apartment were closed, but the door had been left standing open.
A Nampa Police detective spoke with the property manager, who told her Ferency had lived in that unit alone for about a year. Two days before the fire started, the suspect had been issued a notice that his rent payment was late, and he had been spotted by a neighbor checking his mail the day before the fire.
According to court documents, attempts to get ahold of Ferency by phone came up empty. The detective reached out to the suspect's ex-wife, who told her that Ferency struggled with mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and that he was not taking his medication.
The woman said that her ex-husband had had a "mental breakdown" earlier this year, and threatened to kill their sons, according to court documents. She also told police that Ferency had at one time been a firefighter himself, working for Spokane Fire.
A warrant was issued for Ferency's arrest on the arson charge, but he was not taken into custody for several weeks. The suspect was ultimately found in Wyoming, where he was arrested and sent back to Canyon County to face the charge.
The original arson warrant carried a $25,000 bond, but at Ferency's arraignment on Tuesday, the judge opted to drop the bond altogether, releasing Ferency on his own recognizance.
The suspect was out of jail the same day.
Ferency is due to appear in court again Sept. 17 for a preliminary hearing. If convicted of first-degree arson, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
