A Lincoln man is behind bars after allegedly setting his ex-girlfriend's house on fire and attempting to lie to police about it.
Lincoln Police say on Thursday, officers and emergency crews responded to reports of a fire at a home on North Hazelwood Drive near the Mopac Trail. The resident of the house left their home around 5:30 that morning to go to work and a witness reported observing suspicious activity at the home a few hours later.
The witness told police that a man in a Chevrolet Traverse arrived and went behind the home for 20-30 minutes, then backed into the driveway and put his tailgate down. The man disappeared for a short time and eventually drove away shortly before the witness heard an explosion and saw that the home was on fire.
The fire investigator determined there were five separate points of origin and pour patterns consistent with arson. One of the victims reported she had gone through a break up and was being harassed by her ex-boyfriend, 40-year-old Dennis Prokopec. Prokopec matched the description provided by the witness and investigators learned he drove a Chevrolet Traverse.
Prokopec was contacted at his home in Adams, Nebraska and was observed to have burns on his nose and forehead and that his eyebrow was singed. Prokopec denied being involved in the arson and claimed his injuries were from improperly using Nair hair removal.
On Sunday, Prokopec was arrested for Second Degree Arson and Burglary.