Woman pleads not guilty to arson and harassment charges

A 46-year-old woman will be tried in June on charges connected with a fire that got out of control and destroyed a Halawa Heights apartment.

Loraine Casanova entered a plea of not guilty Monday before Circuit Judge Randal Lee on charges of second-degree arson and harassment of a police officer. Second-degree arson is a Class B felony with a maximum jail term of 20 years. Her trial will begin the week of June 16 before Circuit Judge Glenn Kim. She remains in custody at Oahu Community Correctional Center unable to post $25,000 bail.

Police arrested Casanova on suspicion of starting a fire on March 23 in the unit she and her husband rented at 99-1156 Halawa Heights Road. Fire damage, estimated at $15,000, was contained to the ground-floor apartment where the couple resided in the two-story complex.

According to a police affidavit, Casanova told a fire investigator that "marital problems" prompted her to tear from a wall a poster her husband had made for her and set it on fire with a lighter. Casanova said she quickly changed her mind about burning the poster and put out the fire. She then placed the poster atop a bedroom dresser and left the room, the affidavit said.

When she returned, Casanova said, the dresser and a stool were on fire. As she used a bucket and shower hose to douse the flames, the fire spread to a bed, walls and other furniture in the room.

A second-floor neighbor urged Casanova to exit the apartment through a bathroom window. But she remained in the apartment, attempting to put out flames with the shower hose.

The blaze was reported to firefighters at 4:12 p.m. No injuries were reported.

The harassment charge is linked to an incident that occurred the following night when a police officer attempted to question Casanova about the fire.

Seated in a truck in the parking lot at Stadium Market Place on Salt Lake Boulevard, Casanova allegedly yelled obscenities at the officer and "flicked" a cigarette she had been smoking at the officer, according to the police affidavit. Casanova refused to leave the truck and struggled with the arresting officer before she could be handcuffed.