Man faces preliminary charges of attempted murder

An early morning apartment fire Wednesday has led to the arrest of a Bloomington man.

Jon C. Blauvelt, 19, was arrested Wednesday and faces preliminary charges of two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson resulting in bodily injury, according to a press release from the Bloomington Police Department.

Blauvelt initially told police someone broke into his apartment at 3248 S. Acadia Court shortly before 5 a.m,, knocked him unconscious and set fire to the apartment, where his girlfriend and her mother also live. He told police he awoke to flames.

But police believe Blauvelt made up the story.

Police say Blauvelt set the fire after robbing the apartment.

Blauvelt’s girlfriend, 19, and her mother were asleep in separate bedrooms in the back of the apartment at the time of the alleged robbery and fire. Blauvelt’s girlfriend was nine months pregnant at the time of the fire and was able to escape through the bedroom windows. She sustained serious burns and was flown to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis after first being transported to Bloomington Hospital via ambulance. Her mother escaped without injury.

The Bloomington Police Department and the Bloomington Fire Department worked together on the investigation and recovered a gas can at the scene of the fire. The UPC code on the gas can was traced to the Bloomington Wal-Mart and video surveillance showed Blauvelt purchasing the item at approximately 4:05 a.m., according to the press release. Police collected evidence of Blauvelt purchasing gasoline at the Circle S Mart at Bloomfield Lane and Cory Lane later in the morning.

Later Wednesday, Blauvelt agreed to leave Wishard Hospital to return to Bloomington to add further information to his initial report. After confronted by BPD with the evidence they had collected, he admitted that the original report regarding the robbery and assault were false. He also admitted to setting the fire.

The missing items had also been removed by Blauvelt and taken to his mother’s garage where they were later retrieved.

As of Wednesday night, Blauvelt was in the Monroe County Jail, and no bond has been set.

His girlfriend is still at Wishard Hospital with burns to her face, arms, hands and stomach. Her baby was delivered prior to being air lifted to the Burn Unit at Wishard. The baby’s condition was unknown late Wednesday.