Chickasha Woman Accused Of Breaking In, Setting Estranged Boyfriend’s Home On Fire

A Chickasha woman admitted to police she set her estranged boyfriend’s home on fire and stole items belonging to children inside before she did it. 

Tara Wilkinson, 29, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson, second-degree burglary, and violating a protective order. 

On November 1, Chickasha dispatch received a call that a home on the 1200 block of California Ave. was on fire. 

Firefighters were able to get the flames under control inside the home. Once they did, they quickly realized someone had broken into the home and set the dining table on fire. 

The home received significant smoke damage. 

The homeowner was suspicious his estranged girlfriend, Wilkinson, may have started the fire. He told police some items were missing from the home including two tablets and an Xbox game console. 

Investigators questioned Wilkinson immediately following the fire. 

“(They) asked if they could search her apartment for those items that were missing from the house, she did not consent to do that,” said Lt. Scott Weaver of the Chickasha Police Department. “They didn’t have enough probable cause to detain her.” 

The next day, an officer on patrol noticed suspicious activity outside Wilkinson’s apartment. Dashcam video shows the suspect throwing bags out a window and into a friend’s car. 

“They are dropping it out the window to put it in the vehicle, this is to avoid the surveillance cameras at the apartment complex that would show them leaving her apartment on the day after the investigators spoke to her,” said Weaver. 

After searching the vehicle, officers found the property reported stolen from the fire. 

Weaver said if anyone was home at the time of the fire, it could have been deadly.  

“The children, if they had been there, the smoke could of definitely could have caused harm to them,” said Weaver. “Luckily, she timed it to when there wasn’t anyone home at the time of the fire.” 

Wilkinson remains behind bars in the Grady County jail on a $100,000 bond.