Man charged with arson after setting St. Peters home on fire

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – A man appeared in court on Friday for a bond reduction hearing in connection to setting a house on fire that was home to a mother and her two children.

According to the St. Charles County Police probable cause statement, Blake A. Hanks, 34, ignited the fire inside the basement of the St. Peters home on August 31.

Police say the victim had filed a police report the morning before the fire around 8 a.m., informing officers that Hanks had stolen her car without permission on August 30.

The victim said she had been dating Hanks at the time. Hanks had also stolen her purse, cash, cell phone, credit card, and house keys, which were inside her car.

Police said the victim stayed the night with a friend, and when she returned home the next morning, she found her car located nearby in a parking lot, but the stolen items were still gone.

After forcing her way into her house without her keys, police said clothes and mattresses were thrown throughout the home. According to police, the victim had been receiving threatening text messages after she had obtained a temporary cell phone.

On August 31, after 10 p.m., Hanks was caught on neighboring Ring camera surveillance video driving to the home in a silver GMC Terrain and then later leaving the area of suspected arson.

The victim confirmed with the police that the suspect in the video was Hanks based on clothing and a tattoo located on his calf.

After police located Hanks at his mother’s address in Washington, Missouri, he was taken into custody.

Hanks was denied bond reduction and sustains a cash-only $50,000 bond and is being held at the St. Charles County Corrections Center.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.