TACOMA, Wash. — A Pierce County Superior Court judge on Monday found probable cause to charge a Tacoma man with second-degree arson in connection with a yard fire that authorities say could have spread to a home.
Judge McInvaille set bail at $100,000, citing the nature of the allegations and saying the situation “could have been catastrophic” had the fires not been stopped from spreading. The judge also noted that the defendant, Perry Dale Clough, has a prior reckless burning conviction from 2025.
Clough was arrested March 9 after police were dispatched at about 11:50 a.m. to 102 Berkeley Ave. in Fircrest to investigate a possible arson.
Dispatchers told officers that someone had set fire to bushes in the front yard and that the incident was likely related to other fires in Tacoma, according to a Fircrest Police incident report…