
A Janesville man accused of using a Molotov cocktail to light an apartment on fire is bound over for trial.
According to online court records Thursday 36-year-old Matthew Kitsembel waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of arson, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and possession of a Molotov cocktail.
According to the criminal complaint, Kitsembel crafted a Molotov cocktail from an empty Bud Light bottle and a tampon, lit it with a lighter he borrowed from the unwitting landlord who was sitting outside and tossed it through the apartment’s bathroom window. His girlfriend and her stepchild were occupying the room at the time.
One witness said Kitsembel and his girlfriend fought frequently and that Kitsembel thought his girlfriend was in the bathroom with another man the morning of the incident.
Responding officers smelled smoke and gasoline in the apartment, and the bathroom door and blinds were scorched and melted.
Kitsembel was on extended supervision after a prison term for a 2018 armed robbery in Rock County. He’s currently being held in the Rock County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond.