Mario Roberson, 50, was initially charged with traffic infractions during his arrest on Wednesday. His booking information now shows he is being held on a warrant for first-degree felony arson out of San Jacinto County.
[Ads /]
His rental home in the Waterwood neighborhood in Huntsville caught fire on June 10 at 2:30 a.m. Two men, including one of his family members, died in the fire. Another man escaped with serious injuries.
RELATED: 2 bodies found in Huntsville home that burned down 1 month after being painted with racial slurs
Roberson was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 27 for his alleged role. A warrant was issued for his arrest last week.
Authorities have not explicitly said what role he played, but body camera footage obtained only by ABC13 from the night of the fire gives a clue.
The man who survived the incident ran out of the home physically on fire. Law enforcement said he drove off in a truck and crashed into a ditch. That is where they encountered him.
While they waited for medics to arrive, the man was heard telling a San Jacinto County deputy, "Whoever is doing it, he knows the man with the house. A numbers job or something. That's all I know."
[Ads /]
A "numbers job" is a term law enforcement defines as insurance fraud.
SEE ALSO: ONLY ON 13: Huntsville homeowner, who alleged a hate crime at his property, charged with arson
Roberson was heard on body camera footage the morning of the fire referring to prior alleged racial attacks on his home.
The month before the fire, he told ABC13 that someone wrote a racial slur on his home. He blamed the neighborhood's HOA, citing ongoing issues over his rental property.
Two days after Roberson's initial on-camera interview and about a month before the fire, San Jacinto County rendered a decree of sale on the home for unpaid taxes. The constable's deed shows he was delinquent on taxes to the Oakhurst Independent School District and Waterwood Municipal Utility District.
[Ads /]
ABC13 found Roberson owed $26,412 in back taxes on the home. County records show he did not pay property taxes for five years.
The lot where the home sat prior to the fire sold for $55,000 in September.
Roberson purchased the home in 2016 under a limited liability company that was established a month prior. State records show he owes back taxes on the LLC as well.
The 50-year-old is being held without bond and is awaiting extradition. He is due in court in San Jacinto County on Jan. 4.
For more on this story, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.