Burning Love: Valentine’s breakup turns to arson at Myrtle Beach hotel, cops say
A 44-year-old man, who was upset after a breakup, allegedly lit several Valentine’s Day items on fire in a Myrtle Beach motel bathroom and now faces an arson charge.
Myrtle Beach police charged Curtis McCoy with second-degree arson. He was scheduled to turn himself in to police on Tuesday morning.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, officers responded to the Blossom Inn, 403 5th Ave. North, for a reported fire.
An employee told officers there was a fire in the bathtub of one of the apartments, according to a police report. The employee put out the fire with water. The apartment’s resident was on his way home from work when the fire happened.
The witness said he and his ex-boyfriend, McCoy, had been living together for a month and mutually decided to break up, according to the report. McCoy agreed to leave the apartment by Monday.
The witness also said McCoy called him and said he lit items on fire and put them in the tub. When police spoke to McCoy by phone he confirmed that he started the fire, the report states.
Police identified the ignited items as two Valentine’s Day gift bags, two balloons and two Valentine’s Day gift cards.
This story was originally published February 19, 2019 at 12:31 PM.
