Police say Iowa City man intentionally set fire to his garage

Police said an Iowa City man set fire to his own garage in November, then lied to authorities about the cause of the blaze.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, on Nov. 7, 33-year-old Kevin R. Grifhorst, of 1314 Carroll St., set fire to his garage, called 911 and told dispatchers his garage was on fire and he had been assaulted by an unknown white man with a knife. The Iowa City police and fire department investigated the incidents and found Grifhorst set the fire and lied about the assault.

Police said Grifhorst used gasoline to fuel the fire, which caused damage to the garage, his property and a vehicle parked inside. The fire could have spread to neighboring structures, police said.

Additionally, police said Grifhorst lied about the theft of more than $48,000 worth of merchandise from a trailer parked outside of his home on Oct. 26.

Grifhorst was arrested Monday and faces two counts of false reports to law enforcement and one count of reckless use of fire. Both offenses are serious misdemeanors.

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