Upstate Police: Burned Man May Have Lit Tracking Device On Fire (NY)

WNBC ^ | May 27, 2005 | AP

[holymoly]

1GLENS FALLS, N.Y. -- A man on house arrest suffered burns on 60 percent of his body Thursday after the tracking device on his ankle caught fire, authorities said.

Witnesses said 25-year-old Jason McClaskey was engulfed in flames on his front porch just before 6 a.m. Firefighters found him in his bedroom with most of his clothing burned off, Assistant Chief Ray Ives said.

McClaskey had lighter fluid on his leg and although he told officials he was trying to light his grill, that didn't seem likely since there was no charcoal on it, Police Chief Richard Carey said.

McClaskey was in stable condition at Westchester Burn Center in Valhalla, a spokesman said Thursday afternoon. Washington County District Attorney Rob Winn said

McClaskey was on house arrest for breaking into a Hebron storage building in November and stealing 10 pounds of marijuana. Any destruction of tracking devices alerts authorities, Winn noted.

Officials also said McClaskey attempted suicide during a November 2003 stay in the Warren County jail on a misdemeanor charge. Glens Falls is 45 miles north of Albany.

[holymoly]

NY Man Removes Monitoring Device, Catches Fire
"When emergency crews arrived, they found smoldering clothes in the yard and McClaskey inside the house in extreme pain. He was taken to the hospital with burns burns over 60 percent of his body."

What an idiot.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

He missed being a Darwin Candidate by 40%.

[baystaterebel]

Darwin's theory put into practice.

[Izzy Dunne]

McClaskey had lighter fluid on his leg and although he told officials he was trying to light his grill, that didn't seem likely since there was no charcoal on it,

Lighting my grill - Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[sine_nomine]

Vonage commercial.

[b4its2late]

This is expected. If the guy was smart, he wouldn't have committed the crime that put him in the ankle tracking device.

[hflynn]

McClaskey had lighter fluid on his leg and although he told officials he was trying to light his grill, that didn't seem likely since there was no charcoal on it, Police Chief Richard Carey said.

Your honor my client was trying to light the grill. In light of Police Chief Richard Carey's prior testimony no charcoal was on the grill it is obvious my client, an admittedly stupid man, was telling the truth when he said he was trying to light the grill and we ask for a dismissal of all charges.