A 22-year-old University of Texas at Dallas student is sitting in the Collin County jail this week after Frisco police arrested him on a first-degree arson charge and a Class A terroristic-threat count, according to county records. Authorities identified the suspect as Manojh Sai Lella, who was taken into custody by Frisco officers and remains held at the county detention center. His bond is set at $100,000 for the arson allegation and $3,500 for the misdemeanor threat charge. Investigators have not publicly outlined an alleged target or confirmed that any specific place of worship was involved.
Booking information shows Lella was arrested on Monday and appears on the Collin County online inmate roster with charges listed as “arson with intent to damage a habitat or place of worship” and “terroristic threat of a family or household member,” according to Collin County records. The public entry includes his year of birth and a Frisco home address, but does not yet show any court outcome. That basic custodial record has served as the backbone for early local coverage of the case.
Frisco police told reporters that officers were dispatched to a residence for what was described as a mental-health episode and that family members reported threats inside the home, FOX 4 reports. The department has stressed that, at this stage, investigators do not have evidence of a specific, directed threat toward a particular place of worship. Police say the investigation is active and have not publicly released further details about the alleged arson conduct.
Charges, booking and bonds
Court and jail listings show Lella faces a first-degree felony arson allegation, described in the records as arson with intent to damage a habitat or place of worship, along with a Class A misdemeanor terroristic-threat charge. Bail is set at $100,000 for the arson count and $3,500 for the threat allegation, according to reporting by Dallas Express. Public court files reviewed by reporters do not yet list an attorney of record for Lella, and no disposition appears in the docket. He was booked into Collin County custody on an on-view arrest and a local warrant, according to the booking entry.
Legal penalties and next steps
Because the arson allegation involves a habitation or place of worship, Texas law classifies it as a first-degree felony. That level of offense carries a potential punishment range of five to 99 years or life in prison, per the Texas Penal Code. A Class A misdemeanor, which is how the terroristic-threat count is categorized, is punishable by up to one year in county jail. How prosecutors choose to file and whether any sentencing enhancements come into play will ultimately shape the real-world exposure. Formal charging documents, arraignment records, and subsequent court filings will mark the next public checkpoints in the case.
Student status and campus context
Online profiles tied to Lella list the University of Texas at Dallas as one of his current affiliations, and local coverage has noted entries describing him as a senior, based on public entries on career platforms. WayUp and other online pages reference UTD in connection with his background. As of Wednesday, the university had not issued a public statement regarding the arrest, and reporters note that Frisco police have not provided a fuller narrative of the alleged incident. Any future court settings or attorney appointments are expected to surface in Collin County’s public records…