Teen Accused in Arson Apparently Set Fire to Wrong House

SHELBY, N.C. – A teenager, accused of torching a house in Shelby, apparently set fire to the wrong home.

Investigators say a disagreement with a girl led 18-year-old Zanden Cox to set the fire on Forest Hill Drive just before 5:00 Friday morning.

It turns out — he had the wrong house.

“This just happened to be, um, sort of a mistaken identity,” explains Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford.

Ledford says a woman inside awoke to the smell of smoke.

She and her boyfriend used a lamp to bust out a window and escape.

The woman and her boyfriend only had minor injuries – but a cat inside the house died.

Investigators think Cox may have been targeting the wrong home for awhile.

Earlier in the week, the victims told police they found a car tire slashed and threatening letters addressed to someone named “Donavan.”

At the time they thought it might be a joke.

Cox faces several charges including two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

A judge set his bond at $1 Million.