Iowa City woman accused of lighting truck on fire

Court record: She was going through a divorce with owner of the truck

Oct. 16, 2023 4:13 pm

IOWA CITY -- An Iowa City woman was arrested over the weekend on charges she lit a truck on fire that belonged to the man she’s in the process of divorcing.

Ashley Marie Bunting, 40, is charged with second-degree arson. Police say she doused the truck and another vehicle in the parking lot at 1601 Aber Ave. in Iowa City with gasoline and set both vehicles on fire.

Bunting is going through a divorce and custody issues with the owner of the truck, according to a criminal complaint. He reported to the police his truck had been covered in gasoline and partially burned Aug. 23. Police found the other vehicle also doused in gasoline and partially burned when they responded to the scene.

Partial handprints were found on scene, which matched Bunting’s palm prints, the complaint states.

Bunting emailed the truck owner in September asking if his truck still smelled. Police searched her electronic records and found she had turned her phone off the night before the fire was reported, and had deleted her Google location and search history during that night. Google records still showed, however, she had searched the location of the fire in the hours before the arson, according to the complaint.

Bunting had her first appearance in court Monday and was released from jail on her own recognizance.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; [email protected]

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