A suspect in two major fires in the Parker area was found dead
Feb. 13 of an apparent suicide.
Patrick Lee Stowbridge, 28, hanged himself in a vacant home near
Hess Road and Chambers Road.
He was out on bond after being charged with two counts of
first-degree arson, burglary and aggravated motor vehicle theft
late last year. He was found at around 10:30 p.m. Feb. 13 by a
Parker police officer.
An investigation into Stowbridge’s background showed that he had
“been dealing with some life struggles,” police said.
“Patrick had made comments to his step-brother over
the phone earlier in the evening that indicated that he was
suicidal. The step-brother notified the police, and officers from
Parker, Douglas County and Lone Tree began to look for Patrick,”
said Sara Walla, spokesperson for the Parker Police
Department.
Stowbridge was set to appear at a preliminary hearing Feb. 16 to
face arson, theft and burglary charges among others. He was
suspected of burglarizing Audio Creations, a car stereo shop in
Parker, and setting fire to a car inside the store, causing
significant damage.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Parker Fire Protection
District investigators also linked him to a fire in the Meridian
subdivision that burned three homes that were under construction
last September. A fire was set inside a stolen vehicle in the
garage of one of the vacant homes.
Contact Chris Michlewicz at cmichlewicz@ccnewspapers.net