LEBANON, Mo. — A Laclede County man has been charged after deputies allege that he set fire to a home on Monday, Aug. 17.
Earl Yenter’s mugshot, photo courtesy of Laclede County Jail.
According to online court dockets, Earl Yenter, born in 1936, of Lebanon, has been charged with first-degree arson.
The Laclede County Sheriff’s Office notes in a probable cause statement that they were dispatched around 5:26 p.m. for a residential fire, where a person claimed they had woken up in their bedroom and smelled smoke.
The reporting party told officials that they believed that Yenter had possibly been burning trash when they found part of the kitchen and Yenter’s bedroom on fire.
Before the arrival of deputies, the reporting party said they extinguished the flames, but could not find Yenter, noticing that his vehicle was gone from the driveway of the home.
Authorities entered the home, where they found the floor of the kitchen to be burned, with a burned trail leading to Yenter’s bedroom, the statement said.
Man charged after alleged altercation over photos taken at Camden County resort pool
In Yenter’s bedroom, a deputy reported seeing a burned trail with a back-and-forth pattern consistent with a fluid having been used to start the fire. The deputy also observed an empty can of acetone with the cap removed.
Yenter later arrived at the residence, where he admitted to obtaining acetone and spraying it throughout the carpet areas of the bedroom, a closet and dining room, according to the statement.
The statement says that Yenter said he lit a match, at which point the fire “exploded.”
Yenter is in the Laclede County Jail with no bond, with a hearing set for Aug. 26.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR – OzarksFirst.com.