Nathaniel Ryan Haverstick, 43, of Dittmer has been charged with two felonies for allegedly using a grenade to start a fire that destroyed a camper he had doused in gasoline in the 7700 block of Engleford Road in Dittmer, court records show.
Haverstick was arrested on May 23, and on Monday, he was still being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to court documents.
He allegedly started the fire that destroyed the camper in November after arguing with his mother, who owns three campers and a house on the property. Haverstick had lived in one of the campers, according to a probable-cause statement filed by the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office.
In February, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Haverstick with second-degree arson, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, and first-degree harassment, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison. However, in the complaint, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says Haverstick is a prior and persistent offender, so he is subject to an “extended term of imprisonment,” with the arson charge punishable as a class C felony punishable by three to 10 years in prison and the harassment charge punishable as a class D felony punishable by up to seven years.
Haverstick had been found guilty of resisting arrest and first-degree harassment in December 2021 for incidents in Jefferson County, according to court documents.
According to the Fire Marshal’s report, the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District responded to the camper fire at about 4:50 p.m. Nov. 5. The fire was determined to be suspicious because no power source was connected to the camper and witnesses told authorities Haverstick was seen throwing an explosive device into the camper prior to the fire.
Haverstick previously lived in the camper that was destroyed, but he was living in a different camper on the property at the time of the fire. He and his mother had argued about the condition of the destroyed camper prior to the fire as the woman was moving items out of her home into the third camper on the property due to potential flooding from the Big River, the report said.
During the argument, Haverstick allegedly threatened to set the home on fire, and he placed a 5-gallon bucket filled with gasoline near the home. Five minutes after the argument, the woman said she heard a loud boom and multiple softer explosions, and a fire started in the camper, the report said.
Another family member who was helping the woman move items from the home said he saw Haverstick walking near the camper and throw what appeared to be a grenade into the camper before running into a nearby wooded area, according to the report.
The family member also said Haverstick called him a few days after the fire and admitted to starting the fire by pouring gas on or into the camper prior to starting the blaze, the report said.