ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis County Police Department arrested a man for starting a fire while the victims were asleep inside. The alleged arsonist is charged with arson and illegal possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on July 17, Kevin Straub, attempted to set his cousin’s house on fire with them inside. Straub was caught on camera with two other individuals in the backyard of his cousin’s house, attempting to ignite the deck.

When their initial attempt failed, a second person poured what appeared to be gasoline onto the deck and tried to ignite it again. Meanwhile, Straub and a third person went to the side of the house and set it on fire.

This caused the siding to melt and resulted in smoke and burn damage. While this was happening, the victims were asleep inside. They were awakened by a large amount of gunfire. When the police arrived, they found fire damage to the house and several shell casings, along with gunfire damage to the back of the house.

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A witness later identified Straub as one of the suspects in the video.

Straub was not arrested until July 22, during a traffic stop. Police located the handgun used in the crime. After being read his Miranda rights, Straub admitted to using the handgun in the crime and starting the fire at his cousin’s residence.

Straub has a previous conviction for assault in the first degree on November 19, 2014. He is currently held on a $150,000 cash-only bond.

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