A Billings man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four felonies related to a weekend fire that destroyed a Billings South Side apartment.
Reese Morgan Gray Jr., 27, made his first appearance in Yellowstone County District Court on two charges of criminal endangerment and one charge each for arson and aggravated animal cruelty.
Gray is accused of setting fire to his mother's apartment on the 2700 block of Fourth Avenue South Saturday evening, which sent multiple people to the hospital for smoke inhalation and left one cat dead.
Yellowstone Deputy County Attorney Ed Zink said Gray was experiencing suicidal ideations while he was alone in the apartment with the cat and set the fire. An occupant in the other apartment in the duplex was pulled out by a passerby and barely escaped serious injury.
Gray was spotted fleeing the apartment and had singe marks on his hair. According to court documents, his mother told police she believed he was doing meth or fentanyl.
Police also found a lighter in his pocket. During questioning, according to court documents, Gray allegedly admitted to starting the fire, but then later denied it.
His next court date was scheduled for July 25. Gray remains in Yellowstone County jail. Bail was set for $150,000 for the murder charge and an additional $585 for an unrelated warrant in Hill County.
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