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A 35-year-old man appeared in Honolulu District Court Friday after being charged with setting fire to his Makakilo townhouse two weeks ago following a violent argument with his wife.
Bail for Theodore Cota was set at $40,000. He is charged with first-degree arson and abuse of a family member.
No one was injured in the Feb. 18 blaze, which destroyed the end unit of four conjoined duplex townhouses at 92-987 Makakilo Drive. The fire caused about $150,000 in damage to the Palehua Gardens unit and its contents.
Before the 9:40 p.m. fire, a neighbor said he heard a woman screaming and saw Cota outside on the sidewalk hitting his wife. Neighbors helped the woman and her children get away.
After the man returned to the townhouse, neighbors said they heard a loud noise and saw smoke and flames coming from the first floor of the two-story unit.