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Bentonville Man Sentenced For Setting Fire To 3 Cars In 2017

BENTONVILLE (KFSM) — A Bentonville man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for setting three cars on fire in 2017 after he became entangled in a loverR...

BENTONVILLE (KFSM) — A Bentonville man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for setting three cars on fire in 2017 after he became entangled in a lover’s quarrel between another man and his girlfriend.

Martin Diaz, 23, pleaded guilty earlier this month in Beton County Circuit Court to three counts of arson.

Diaz also owes more than $50,000 in restitution.

Diaz told police he was trying to protect the man’s girlfriend, who Diaz said the man was harassing, according to the affidavit.

However, the victim said Diaz was spoofing his cell phone number and trying to “get” with the woman behind his back.

Yet another man said he, Diaz and the victim were all romantically linked to the woman and Diaz was “obsessed with her,” according to the affidavit.

Police responded to a suspicious call in July 2017 on East Battlefield Boulevard in Bentonville, where they saw a man trying to extinguish a burning car.

Expletives were spray-painted on other cars near the burning vehicle as well as on the fence of a nearby home.

Damage from the fire, which melted some side paneling on the house, was estimated at $30,000.

Officers initially linked Diaz to the incident thanks to a witness and surveillance footage from a nearby traffic camera.

Both spotted a white Dodge Dart with a black bumper in the area around the time of the fire.

Police discovered Diaz had posted a picture of a similar vehicle to his Facebook page, according to the affidavit.

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