Man charged with arson after setting fire to a Philipsburg-area home
A man was charged with more than a handful of felonies Wednesday after state police at Rockview accused him of setting fire to a Rush Township home, as well as attempting to set fire to a Clearfield County home.
Brent Archer Sr., 34, was accused of breaking into an unoccupied home last week along Mulligan Hollow Lane, pouring gasoline throughout the house and starting a fire.
The fire was started before dawn and was captured on surveillance cameras, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed Tuesday. An initial estimate for structural damage amounted to about $35,000.
Archer then walked about one mile to a house along Stone Street in Osceola Mills and poured gasoline on the floor. He was confronted by the homeowner and fled before starting a fire, police wrote. Damage was estimated to be about $2,200.
Archer was arrested in Blair County, where he is also facing allegations he resisted arrest by two Tyrone police officers for more than 19 minutes.
Archer snorted methamphetamine less than three hours before the first fire broke out, police wrote. A defense lawyer was not listed.
Archer was charged in Centre County with two felony counts each of arson, burglary, criminal trespassing and criminal mischief. He was charged in Blair County with two felony counts of aggravated assault, one misdemeanor count each of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, and one summary count of public drunkenness.
He’s scheduled to be arraigned Thursday by Centre County District Judge and Blair County District Judge Fred Miller. Archer is detained at the Cambria County Prison.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 12:30 PM.