Michelle Young: Arrested woman claims ‘Witches Welcome’ sign prompted her to set stranger’s porch on fire

BURLINGTON, IOWA: A 46-year-old Iowa woman was taken into custody after she allegedly lit a fire on the porch of a stranger's home. She claimed to be a witch and the home had a sign that read, 'Witches Welcome'.

Michelle Young was detained on Tuesday, March 19, and charged with one serious misdemeanor count of using fire, explosives, or destructive devices recklessly, according to court documents obtained.

Homeowner in Iowa reported fire on her porch

According to a press release from the Burlington, Iowa Police Department, the homeowner in the 2200 block of Vineyard Avenue in Burlington, Iowa, called 911 at 4.30 pm on Tuesday, claiming to have received an "alert of motion" from her security camera.

The homeowner reported to the dispatcher that a woman had just "lit a fire" on her porch even though she was not at home at the time.

The homeowner added that she had never spoken to the purported fire starter and had no idea who the woman was. First responders reported finding Young on the porch when they arrived.

Before allegedly confessing that she had just started a fire on the porch of the residence, she told the officers that her friend lived there.

According to police, the fire was promptly extinguished by Burlington Fire Department personnel, resulting in little structural damage to the house, as reported by Law&Crime.

Young was charged with an additional misdemeanor after officers arrested her and discovered she had drug paraphernalia during a search.

Michelle Young arrested after allegedly burning odd objects

Young also told police that prior to arriving at the house, she had been strolling around the neighborhood and gathering up a variety of odd objects, according to a report from The Hawk Eye.

She claimed she knocked on the front door three times, thinking it was her friend's house, but nobody answered. The house, according to her, had a sign that said, 'Witches Welcome'.

She then allegedly admitted to the police that she was a witch, after which she burnt some clothes and some of the objects she had just gathered.

According to reports, she made it clear that she didn't want the fire to hurt anyone or to get out of control and destroy any property.

In lieu of a $5,000 bond, Young was checked into the Des Moines County Jail. She is expected to appear in court for her preliminary hearing on March 29 in the afternoon.