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Not guilty plea from mother charged with attempted murder and arson

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By: Tim Johnston, andy cunningham Email
Updated: Tue 8:05 PM, Oct 16, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - In court today, Lamonica Hill, 41, pleaded not guilty to Arson and Attempted Murder charges. A Fayette County judge set Hill's bond at $500,000 and ordered a comprehensive care assessment.

It's been roughly a month since a fire flared up inside an apartment on Lima Drive. At the time, Lamonica Hill, 41, told firefighters she was sleepwalking and dreamt that she was lighting a grill.

Today, arson investigators say there's more to the story than she first reported.

"With any fire we typically conduct a full investigation, and throughout that investigation and the interviews we conducted we received some additional information," explained Captain Carrie Bowling, of the Lexington Fire Department.

Bowling went on to say the September 13th fire, didn't cause much damage to the second story apartment, but it did threaten Hill and her child's life.

"Initially, her and the child were trapped, but they were able to escape, obviously, without injury. Ms. Hill had indicated that she set the fire as she was sleepwalking."

The fire was real, but it turns out the story was not.

"I can't speculate her motive to tell that story, but obviously we had enough evidence to show that was not the case."

Investigators arrested Hill, today, on charges of Attempted Murder and Arson.

Even more, Bowling said Hill's child appeared to have been drugged that night, "The child was given an overdose of medication. We can't give you specifics as to the amount or what it was."

"That scares me, I have two small kids of my own. If it was intentional, then I mean she needs to be punished for it. As far as overdosing a child on medication, she's not a very good parent in my eyes," added a tenant at the same Circleview Apartment complex.

The tenant did not want to be identified, but said she could not understand why Hill would attempt to burn down her apartment.

"All of the apartments are connected somehow on different buildings, so she's not only destroying her own home, she's destroying the homes of other people."

Bowling did say this case remains under investigation, and she did not rule out the possibility that more charges could be added to the case.

The child is with another caregiver. Bowling said he was not hurt that night, and is doing fine.


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