Man admits to setting fire in ex's apartment

Tahlequah Daily Press (OK)

Feb. 26--A man was taken into custody after he purportedly set a fire in his ex-wife's apartment and fled.

On Feb. 23, Cherokee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Robison was dispatched to Garden Walk of Tahlequah apartment complex in regard to a domestic disturbance. The caller said her daughter said her ex-husband, John Haeberle, were at the apartment, and that he wouldn't go away.

"While en route to the residence, dispatch advised they received a call from the resident, stating John had just kicked in the door to the residence and was inside, vandalizing the apartment," Robison said in the sheriff's report.

The woman met deputies outside and said Haeberle had just bolted out of the apartment. Robison said they searched the immediate area, but were unable to locate the suspect.

The ex-wife said Haeberle came to the apartment to see their children. When she told him he could see them, but only outside on the playground, he allegedly became angry and kicked the door open.

"She filled out a statement regarding the incident. She had John's mother come pick her and the children up and left the apartment for the day," Robison said.

The next morning, Robison was dispatched to the same apartment unit with the Tahlequah Fire Department. The deputy called Haeberle's parents to see if the woman and children had returned to the apartment at any time, since he was there last. They said she and the children had stayed in a hotel room and weren't in the apartment.

Haeberle's mother advised she received text messages from her son, and he admitted to setting the fire in the apartment.

"Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Ashley Stephens and Tahlequah Fire Marshal Aaron Garrett responded to the scene of the fire and investigated the arson," Robison said. "The building where the apartment was located has eight units, and three of them were occupied at the time of the fire."

A witness at the scene said he saw a gray GMC SUV speed away from the apartment shortly after the fire. At some point in the day, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to a hit-and-run on Indian Road near Tenkiller Harbor. One of the vehicles involved was a gray GMC SUV.

Robison said Haeberle was known to live in Tenkiller Harbor, and he -- along with Deputy Austin Cluck, Investigators R. Berry and Sgt. Brad Baker, and Agent Stephens -- arrived at the home. There they were told Haeberle had fled into a wooded area with a .22-caliber rifle.

A short time later, Haeberle was persuaded to come out of the wooded area and was taken into custody without incident.

"He admitted to breaking in the residence earlier in the morning and starting the fire in the bedroom," Robison said. "John stated he started the fire with a piece of paper lit from the stove. He stated he was mad at his ex-wife for not letting him see the children."

Haeberle was taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center and booked for two counts of first-degree burglary, first-degree arson, leaving the scene of an accident, left of center, and no insurance.

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