Pinehurst Man Charged With Arson, Assault

A Pinehurst man was arrested Wednesday evening after he tried to set his ex-wife’s trailer on fire while she was inside.

“His ex-wife smelled something burning and called 911 around 8:30,” said Pinehurst police patrolman Steve Berg.

Paul Marquez, 51, was picked up near the residence and charged with first degree arson and assault with intent to commit murder. Alcohol also played a role in the incident.

“He was definitely drunk when we picked him up,” said Berg.

He added that there wasn’t much doubt about who had set the fire, since Marquez had visited his ex-wife earlier that day and told her he planned to set fire to the trailer.

Responding to the first disturbance, Berg said he himself heard Marquez making threats “along those lines.”

He declined to discuss the motive for the arson until after Marquez’s preliminary hearing. “All I can tell you is that the whole thing was completely, incredibly stupid,” Berg said.

The trailer suffered only minor damage and the woman was unharmed.