Port Arthur man faces arson charge, accused of leaving Dixie Drive home minutes before blaze

Published 12:38 am Saturday, May 28, 2022

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A 37-year-old Port Arthur man who allegedly set fire to a woman’s home was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury this week.

A video of the May 9 incident reportedly shows Josue Israel Gutierrez walked up the stairs to a garage apartment on Dixie Drive and tried to kick the door in. He was unable to do so, an investigator with the Port Arthur Fire Department said in a court document.

Gutierrez was able to enter the home through a window on the front door. He is reportedly seen leaving the home just minutes before the fire is seen in the video.

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Gutierrez was arrested May 10.

Bond for the arson charge was set at $500,000 and bond for resisting arrest/search/transport was set at $1,000.

As of Friday he was still in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility, according to jail records.

An indictment is not a final conviction of guilt; it is only a ruling by the grand jury that allows the district attorney’s office to proceed with a criminal case.