Arrested twice over weekend, Greencastle man faces attempted arson charge

James Wright

A Greencastle man is in jail after allegedly attempting to set fire to another man’s pickup truck.

James V. Wright, 50, was actually arrested twice over the weekend, first by Greencastle Police for disorderly conduct on Friday night, then again on Saturday night for attempted arson and criminal mischief.

In the latter incident, Wright was allegedly helping Charles Ryan Wood clean his house on Saturday night. Wood told Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputy Hunter Gambill he left to pick up his sons and when he returned, he found Wright outside the house, claiming that someone was inside.

Wood entered the house to find the living room area appeared vandalized, security cameras had been unplugged and there was tiki torch fuel on the floor of the living room and hallway.

Upon going back outside, Wood said he smelled something burning and found one of his shop rags in the gas cap of his Ford F-150. The rag had been set on fire and was smoldering at that time. Additionally, a passenger side window had been broken out of the truck.

At this point, Wood said the two men argued and Wright left, walking toward Greencastle.

Gambill reviewed the security footage with Wood and found a man wearing the same clothes Wright had been wearing proceeding toward the pickup with a rag and a large object in his hands.

While Gambill was still at Wood’s residence, Wright returned, saying Wood was trying to set him up.

Wright told the deputy that while taking a break from cleaning, he began noticing motion outside and went out several times to see, but did not observe anyone. He then claimed to hear a female laughing inside the residence.

For this reason, he said he spread the oil on the floor to make it difficult for anyone to leave.

Wright also allegedly told the officer that he tried to set the truck ablaze to cause a distraction for whoever was inside the residence.

During the course of the investigation, Wright claimed to hear other voices inside the house and was upset at Gambill for not investigating their source.

Wright was placed under arrest and transported to the Putnam County Jail, booked in shortly after midnight on Sunday.

In the earlier incident, Greencastle Police officers were at the Green Mart Gas Station on Bloomington Street.

Though the police presence had nothing to do with Wright, he became agitated and yelling at the officers to “come and get me.”

Eventually, Wright began moving aggressively toward Officer Luke Brown, at which point Sgt. Matt Huffman deployed his taser on Wright.

During a medical evaluation following the tasing, Wright said he had been off of his medicine for paranoid schizophrenia and should have been taking them.

Formally charged by the Putnam County Prosecutor’s Office with Level 4 felony attempted arson, Class A misdemeanor criminal mischief and Class B misdemeanor disorderly conduct, Wright was due in Putnam Superior Court on Monday afternoon.