A West Virginia couple known for posting their lives on TikTok is facing felony charges after a vacant Charleston house went up in flames and a neighboring church suffered more than $10,000 in damage.
Dakota Harper, 21, and Felicity Eatmon, 22, were arrested Sept. 29 and charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson in connection with the Sept. 27 fire on Charleston’s West Side.
The case centers on surveillance footage that the Charleston fire marshal’s office obtained after the blaze. A criminal complaint describes the pair approaching the vacant house shortly before flames broke out.
Harper and Eatmon shared a TikTok account that had accumulated more than 25,000 followers by the time of their arrests, but nothing in the publicly reported allegations establishes that the fire was connected to their social media activity.
A Late-Night Fire
The Charleston Fire Department responded to the 400 block of Maryland Avenue at about 11:15 p.m. after the house caught fire.
The building was vacant and had no active utility service, according to the criminal complaint described by WCHS Network.
The remains continued to smolder into the following morning.
The fire also damaged the neighboring Canaan United Methodist Church. The complaint placed the damage to the church at more than $10,000.
What Cameras Caught
@dakotaandfelicityharper What do you guys think about this??#dakota #felicity #clips #fyppppppppppppppppppp ♬ Cathedral of Mist – Marla Wade
Surveillance video obtained during the fire marshal’s investigation allegedly showed Harper and Eatmon in an alley beside the house immediately before the fire.
The complaint says Eatmon handed Harper what appeared to be a piece of paper near a side entrance.
The pair then allegedly used a handheld ignition source to light the paper before placing the burning material inside the house.
After the fire began developing, the complaint says Harper and Eatmon left the area.
The surveillance account forms part of the probable-cause allegations against them and has not been tested at trial.
Felony Charges
Both defendants were subsequently charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson.
West Virginia law specifically allows a first-degree arson charge when someone is accused of willfully and maliciously burning a dwelling even when the building is vacant or unoccupied. A conviction carries a prison sentence of two to 20 years under West Virginia Code §61-3-1.
The accompanying conspiracy charge also carries substantial potential prison time. Under West Virginia Code §61-10-31, conspiracy to commit first-degree arson is punishable by five to 25 years upon conviction.
WCHS reported after their arraignments that Harper and Eatmon were being held at South Central Regional Jail on $10,000 bail each.
The charges remain allegations, and neither defendant has been convicted in connection with the fire.