Arkansas Blog: Fire victim: 'I laid there scared to death.'

Aaron Jones, the lawyer and real estate developer who says he was bound by armed intruders in his Chenal Circle home early this morning and managed to escape the fire intruders set, said he can think of no one with a reason to do him harm. He also said, as a lawyer, he understood that investigators might consider whether he had a role, but commented, "I'd never take a chance at burning myself alive."

He said there was nothing in the $1.8 million home of extraordinary value to robbers, if that was the intruders’ goal. The interior of the home was destroyed by fire and Jones has been unable to re-enter until inspectors tell him it is safe, but he said it likely would be difficult to tell if anything was taken, the destruction was so complete. The most expensive item in the home was a grand piano. More on the jump.

Jones said he’d been on vacation with his family at a second home near Seaside, Fla., but returned early for work purposes on Wednesday night. His wife and two children, ages 5 and 6, stayed in Florida. “I’m really glad they weren’t with me. Thank God they weren’t.” Their bedrooms were upstairs in the home at 43 Chenal Circle, the western Little Rock subdivision's premier address.

Thursday night, Jones, 31, said he’d visited friends then returned home about 9:30 p.m. and went to bed. “I laid down and watched TV and then fell asleep. At some point in the night I started waking up. You know the feeling you have when somebody is standing in a room with you? My kids do it. They stand by the bed until I wake up.”

“I turned over about that time and they stuck a gun in my face and said ‘don’t move.’ Then they covered my mouth and eyes with duct tape and then my ankles and hands. I laid there scared to death.”

How many people were in the room?

“Clearly there was one who had a gun. But it all happened so fast. I know there was that person. I know I was laying flat when they bound me. It had to take more than one person. Someone was man-handling me.”

Jones said he lay there for a period of time that “felt like forever,” though it probably wasn’t more than 10 or 15 minutes. He lay still, as ordered. He said the voice of the man wasn’t familiar to him. “There was coming and going in the room.” The master bedroom is on the first floor of the house.

“After a period of time, I smelled smoke. Obviously, I was concerned. I moved and nobody said anything. At that point, I was able to get my arms up enough to pull the tape off my eyes. Our room has 12-foot ceilings and it was probably four feet thick with solid black smoke.”

“I didn’t see anyone around and I took the tape off my mouth. And I basically hopped out of the house through a door in the bedroom that goes out to our pool. If it had been locked, I probably couldn’t have gotten out. I fell once or twice and hopped and crawled to a neighbor’s house across the street. I banged on the door and yelled, ‘I’m your neighbor. My house is on fire.’ She opened the door and looked out and then closed the door. I heard her call the police and say, ‘There’s a man on the front porch who’s tied up and says his house is on fire.” Jones said he didn’t know the neighbor well. When a police officer arrived, he removed the duct tape from Jones’ arms and legs.

Jones said he knew of no one with reason to do him harm. “I’ve never had anyone threaten me. I’ve had disagreements. We’re among the largest land developers in Central Arkansas and we do a lot of projects in a lot of places and every now and then people are not always happy. I’ve also been a judge in Haskell. But I never thought anything had ever happened to cause me alarm or concern for my safety.”

I asked Jones, too, about the possibility that suspicion might fall on him. “I’m a lawyer and I definitely understand that sort of thought. But I sure as hell wouldn’t set my house on fire with me in it. I’d never take a chance at burning myself alive.”

Jones said the loss was a devastating one. “We love that house. We love our stuff. We lost everything — my wife’s wedding dress, pictures of a trip of a lifetime to Europe, all my kids’ toys, my Eagle Scout badge and merit badges, my first teddy bear. All that stuff is gone. It’s the kind of stuff you can’t replace. I just walked out of the house with gym shorts and the T-shirt I was wearing.”

As for the fact that the house was for sale and carried debt equal to the asking price, Jones said: “The house is an insignificant portion of my overall financial picture. I’m a homebuilder and developer. In the 10 years I’ve been married, I haven’t lived in a house that wasn’t for sale. That’s what I do. Build and sell homes. We plan to build 150 in the next 12 months.”

He said he knew times were tough in the real estate business, but his own business was an exception. A Benton native, he does most of his work in Saline County. “We’re having the best year we’ve ever had. It was another record year for our real estate and title business. May was the highest grossing month we’ve ever had at the title business in terms of both dollar volume and transactions closed. We’re having just a phenomenal year. A lot of other people are suffering, but we aren’t.”

He said he’d already pre-sold several houses in a Midtown Bryant development that’s meant to emulate Seaside, Fla.’s planned look.

What now? “I don’t know. We’re going to figure out what we’re going to do to provide shelter and basic necessities to rebuild our life.”

Comments

CAN YOU SAY INSURANCE FRAUD!!!

We all know the housing market is in the tank especially for over priced McMansions.

Can't wait to see this guy on 48 Hours on Discovery ID when they reveal that he staged the whole thing to pay off some debts.

So a band of robbers happen to show up when the family is out of town and don't take anything but burn the house to the ground????

yeah Okay Susan Smith, blame the black man

Posted by: Orval Eugene | May 30, 2008 04:25 PM

Hmmmmmm...do we smell something other than smoke?

Posted by: Nemo | May 30, 2008 04:31 PM

I dunno. If you wanna burn your house down for the insurance money, there's lots of easier and less suspicious ways to do it. My dad (the first generation of adjusters in our fam) once worked a claim where a man who had been working on his car got his clothes all greasy. We all know gasoline will take grease out of just about anything, so he washed his clothes and himself in gasoline. Then he put the clothes in the electric dryer to dry them off. Well, that exploded and burned the house. That is stupidity. Stupidity is covered. Whether or not he did it on purpose could not be proven. His claim was paid. I think a lawyer would have enough sense to know that he would have a better chance doing something stupid - like forgetting the deep fryer was cooking up a mess o'fish and going to make a bank deposit - than something to arouse so much suspicion. I don't care if the guy IS a lawyer. I believe his story.
Many more handy tips like this when my next book, "Remodeling with Fire", eventually comes out!

Posted by: RickBaber | May 30, 2008 04:43 PM

Maybe he accidentally set the drapes on fire with those funky laser eyes.....

Posted by: PossumKing | May 30, 2008 04:48 PM

"And I basically hopped out of the house through a door in the bedroom that goes out to our pool. If it had been locked, I probably couldn't have gotten out." --- Aaron Jones

And, Aaron, if the door had been locked, the perpetrator(s) probably couldn't have got IN. For Pete's sake, people, this is Little Rock, not Jasper: Lock your friggin' doors, day and night. I'm like Rick. I believe the guy. The story is too preposterous to make up.

Posted by: durangokid | May 30, 2008 04:59 PM

Instead of "smelling a rat" or questioning someone's immediate remembrance of events after something like this, maybe you guys should try saying a prayer. No matter what people think of others, a devastating thing like this and an attempt on another's life isn't funny. He's my cousin and even if we don't talk, I am still praying for him.

Posted by: alizaj | May 30, 2008 05:09 PM

You idiots would believe that story

But then again you also believe Houston Nutt was a good coach and a stand up guy. SO thank God you are not insurance adjusters.

Band of thieves likes to target empty houses, up for sale, with loads of debt, and then duck tape the owner (but not so well that he could not escape), and then steal absolutely nothing.

But burn the house down to the ground????

Yeah Okay!! If you believe that load of horse shit, I have got some Ocean front property in Crossett I need to sell you

Have a nice season Hottie Toddy

Posted by: Orval Eugene | May 30, 2008 05:12 PM

Okay Alizaj

But I bet you,

Posting on a Blog or Praying

Have the exact same effect...

Absolutely Nothing.

Posted by: Orval Eugene | May 30, 2008 05:16 PM

Man, Orval, you certainly think you know everything. Life must be very bitter when you automatically assume the worst about everyone and anyone.

Posted by: Prouster | May 30, 2008 06:10 PM

"SO thank God you are not insurance adjusters."

Orval,
I trust you're just kidding about the idiotic "idiot" remark.
But, just so you know, I AM an insurance adjuster. Have been one for 25 years, and still ticking.
And, any adjuster who walks in there talking about this being a suspicious story and telling this man he doesn't believe him is (1) not worth a shit and (2) possibly guilty of "bad faith".
Look that up. And, thank God YOU're not an insurance adjuster.

Posted by: RickBaber | May 30, 2008 06:14 PM

Fire victim: 'I laid there scared to death.'

Does semi-literacy constitute evidence?

Posted by: Polecat | May 30, 2008 07:04 PM

Durangokid I already had that exact quote copied and ready paste. That's exactly what I was going to say. haha

Innocent till proven guilty, but...

Posted by: liberal Dem looking forward to 2012 | May 30, 2008 07:14 PM

So WHAT DOES it take to ask questions?

"But, just so you know, I AM an insurance adjuster. Have been one for 25 years, and still ticking.
And, any adjuster who walks in there talking about this being a suspicious story and telling this man he doesn't believe him is (1) not worth a shit and (2) possibly guilty of "bad faith".
Look that up. And, thank God YOU're not an insurance adjuster."

Posted by: mudturtle | May 30, 2008 10:52 PM

sounds very strange. If he was so financially secure, why was their still three mortgages, and the homes payoff, was higher than it was worth. Sounds like someone got in over their head, and got desperate. I will pray for him, because he and his family are going to need it, and more.

Posted by: alicat | May 30, 2008 10:53 PM

surely this house has a monitored alarm system. why was fire dept. not called immediately?

Posted by: dogtiredinlr | May 30, 2008 11:08 PM

You ALWAYS ask questions Mudturtle. But you don't go 'round accusing people of committing illegal acts. I could tell you what questions would be asked here of this guy, and others, and where the investigation will go from here but that would take a lot more time than either of us have and, for all I know, I could end up with the claim come Monday morning. So...best I shuttup about it.

Posted by: RickBaber | May 30, 2008 11:44 PM

I never assume someone is guilty...including this guy. But since this is a blog and these are personal opinions rather than professional assessments...this story stinks. (I try to remember that people can be stupid/silly/etc. rather than corrupt...and that assumed innocence is important.)

Posted by: zelda | May 31, 2008 07:59 AM

It is hardly an unfair observation to say that this story is exceedingly suspicious. Guys break into a home in a gated community (what do you want to bet the neighbors don't have a recollection of any suspicious activity in the neighborhood?) stick a gun in victim's face, tape him up and set the place on fire?

That ain't exactly the usual "home invasion" you hear about.

And I suspect, as has been mentioned earlier, it is because the victim is an amateur.

Civilians should let criminals do crimes. They aren't much good at it either but they at least have more practice at coming up with stories that will pass the "laugh test."

BTW...if he has money problems now, just wait until the insurance company denies this claim.

What was he thinking?

Posted by: bopbamboom | May 31, 2008 08:04 AM

Well, you know, this shizz happens a LOT behind those security gates in Chenal.

Houses being burgled and burning down and shizz. In Chenal. Yeah.

You're PAYING for Protection when you buy behind "gates" in Chenal.

So it's really unsettling that some robbers can get through the security gates and enter your McMansion and duct-tape and bind you and shizz and set fire to your McMansion in two places while you're sound asleep or bound and helpless or whatever, and the rest of your family is in Florida and stuff.

I don't know, Aaron. I hope you and O.J. find the perpetrators soon and bring 'em to justice.

Plus, I'll be lighting a candle that your insurance is up-to-date, this Sunday.

Posted by: NormaBates | May 31, 2008 09:28 AM

When I drove by one lane of traffic was very slow and the other was moving. It would not have been that hard to get an ambulance in there. No more difficult that many places in the city at most times of the day. Posted by: liberal Dem looking forward to 2012

I'm not talking about THAT time you drove by. I'm talking about times when scores of people were pulling off and parking on either side of the road, running around with their cameras, getting back in their cars and trying to merge back into "traffic" (which was creeping, at best); when there were brake lights as far as the eye could see between I-430 and Misty Ln. My brother lived in Echo Valley several years ago and I remember going to a family Christmas party at his house. Our Dad was a heart patient I we all had the same thought about the ambulance.

Posted by: hugh mann | May 31, 2008 10:42 AM

Oops. Wrong thread.

Posted by: hugh mann | May 31, 2008 10:43 AM

I wanna know where this guy got his "law degree". Seriously, I'm dying to know where this guy was edumacated.

Posted by: Basil | May 31, 2008 11:02 AM

Said by Aaron Jones above in this story -
"I didn't see anyone around and I took the tape off my mouth. And I basically hopped out of the house through a door in the bedroom that goes out to our pool..."

Said by Aaron Jones in Dem-Gaz article today -
"I didn't hear anything, and I thought maybe the men had left," he said.
So he said he peeled the tape off his eyes and started crawling for the door. He made it into the courtyard, he said, and then hopped and crawled to the large front gate.
"They must have left it open when they left," he said. "Thankfully." -- (complete story on my name)

Hmmmmmmm..... So the pool's in the backyard, and the "large front gate" is in -duh- the front yard....
Yeah, this increases MY suspicions.....and I doubt I'm alone!

Posted by: mykidzmom | May 31, 2008 01:11 PM

mykidzmom, i dont understand your point (I am just asking a question, Im really not trying to cause trouble) about the pool in the back and the large gate in the front.

arent most pools in the back? we used to live in a house with a pool in back and a big gate in front, here in the arkansas river valley, but we werent rich. Jed and Granny had a big gate out front and the cement pond was in the back too. I miss my pool and my yard.

what ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? I've never heard of this guy, but arent we all entitled to that?

has he hired an attorney yet? I guess he has to find a place to live and some clothes to wear first.
his story doesnt make a lot of sense, but lots of things dont. still, I dont understand what Im missing about the pool in the back/gate in the front.

of course none of this good stuff would be in the NW Ark edition of the d-g,not that we subscribe. Fred the Wonder Dog simply will NOT have that thing in the house.

Posted by: tina | June 1, 2008 11:23 AM

Tina, My point about the pool in the back & gate in the front, is that it struck me that the 2 accounts were inconsistent with each other. The 'courtyard' he referenced in the dem-gaz would be in the front, but he told Max that he went out the bedroom door toward the pool. I may have read too much into this, though. I also saw comments on todaysthv.com (click my name) about duct tape/eyebrows. Maybe it's my doubtful nature, but to me, there are numerous inconsistencies in this story.

Posted by: mykidzmom | June 1, 2008 01:57 PM

Arkansas Blog

Fire victim: 'I laid there scared to death.'

Comments

Post a comment