Video: Self-Described Witch Arrested for Allegedly Starting Fire on Stranger's Porch

By Tim Binnall

In a weird story out of Iowa, a self-described witch was arrested for allegedly starting a fire on a stranger's porch. The bizarre incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday afternoon in the city of Burlington when Michelle Young ventured up to a residence that, she later told police, she thought was a friend's house. After knocking at the door three times and failing to receive any answer, the visitor proceeded to light multiple items on fire, which led to her presence being picked up by the homeowner's security system and, as one might imagine, a call to the cops was quickly placed. When officers located Young near the scene, she admitted to being the fire-starting woman on the porch and offered a rather fantastic explanation for her odd actions.

When no one answered the door at what she believed to be her friend's house, the suspect recounted to the cops, she noticed a decorative sign on the house that stated "Witches Welcome." In a remarkable bit of synchronicity, Young said, she just so happens to be a witch herself and, as such, the message inspired her to light various objects on fire in what one imagines was some kind of ritual known only to those who practice the proverbial dark arts. It would seem that the self-described witch's wondrous reasoning for starting the fire fell on deaf ears with the police promptly arresting her for the reckless use of fire/explosives/destructive devices as well as, in what may be the least surprising aspect of the incident, possession of drug paraphernalia.