Two city residents charged in arson

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Two Mount Pleasant residents were charged in a September arson and subsequent insurance scam.

Sharrie Lee Keehbauch and Kenneth James Malott, both 38, were arraigned Monday at the Isabella County Courthouse.

Keehbauch was charged with two counts of arson, three counts of insurance fraud and one count of filing a false police report of a felony. Malott was charged with two counts of insurance fraud, according to a press release from the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

The fire started when someone kicked in the door of a residence in the 1200 block of Robert Street and lit a pile of clothing on fire in a bedroom. The extensive fire and smoke damage is estimated around $50,000, according to the release.

The Sept. 2 incident spawned a six-month long investigation.

“That is not uncommon at all with arson investigations,” said Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Gregory Walterhouse. “Typically, one of the primary motives for arson is fraud. Fraud investigations are usually complex and time-consuming.”

One of Keehbauch’s fraud charges and the false report charge stem from a separate incident where she claimed someone had broken into her house and broke the doors. The investigation revealed a member of Keehbauch’s family was the person who kicked the door in.

Keehbauch received about $1,200 to fix the doors, as did her ex-husband, Malott. The doors were never repaired.

The investigation was aided by tips to an anonymous arson line, eventually leading police to investigate Keehbauch and Malott.

They are lodged in the Isabella County Jail. Keehbauch’s bond has been set at $30,000 and Malott’s bond at $10,000.

Both suspects are scheduled for preliminary examinations at 8:15 a.m. Friday.