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Oakland County, MI (WJRT) — An Oakland County man is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly lighting his wife on fire during an argument last week.
James Montgomery, 48, was arraigned Saturday on one count of assault with intent to murder while his 53-year-old wife lay in critical condition with significant burns over nearly half of her body.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the couple was fighting during the early morning hours of Thursday in their residence on Jordan Street in Pontiac when Montgomery doused his wife with brandy.
He then “flicked” his lighter and caused it to spark, igniting her clothes on fire, police say.
Investigators learned of the incident around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, when the woman showed up at a Pontiac hospital and told staff she had been set on fire.
Montgomery, who was arrested in the waiting room at the hospital, initially told police his wife accidentally poured alcohol on herself and dropped a lit cigarette. But his wife disputed her version at the hospital.
The woman suffered second-degree burns over 45 percent of her body. She was listed in critical but stable condition at Detroit Receiving Hospital over the weekend.
Montgomery remained in the Oakland County Jail after arraignment on a $1 million cash bond. He is awaiting another court appearance on Jan. 29.
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