Missouri woman sentenced to 12 years in prison for setting fire to a house of potato chips

A Missouri woman in the US has been sentenced after allegedly using potato chips to set fire to a residence in 2023.

According to court records, Patricia Faye Williams was in court on January 7, 2025, and withdrew her not guilty plea.

She pleaded guilty under a plea agreement and will serve 12 years in prison for first-degree arson.

Court records also show that the court found Williams a persistent violator of the law, the Telegraph reports.

In August 2023, police arrived at a home to find smoke coming from the back door and people standing in front. Witnesses told officers that Williams had started the fire.

Documents say Williams poured gasoline from a gas bottle over a pile of laundry and the laundry room floor before lighting Takis tortilla chips on fire and throwing them into the room.

Three others were inside the house at the time of the fire and all escaped without injury.

Williams later admitted to police that she started the fire on purpose, and said she used the potato chips because she knew they would cause a burn due to their fat content. /Telegraph/