Chester County DA: Woman’s car was towed, so she torched a Coatesville police car

A Coatesville woman, apparently upset that her car was towed after a traffic stop Sunday, is accused of setting fire to one of the city’s police cars and attempting to ignite other vehicles.

Adriene Renee Rodriguez, 33, was charged with a felony count of reckless burning and 27 misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief, vandalism, and retaliation.

The Chester County District Attorney’s Office said Coatesville Police Cpl. Jeffrey Ingemie saw a patrol car on fire in the department’s parking lot at 8:42 p.m. Sunday and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze. Ingemie noticed a trail of fluid that ran from the damaged vehicle to three additional patrol cars and two personal cars in the lot.

Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer III said the burned vehicle “suffered exterior damage to the passenger rear door” from heat and flames, and the other vehicles had “minor paint/clear-coat damage” from the liquid used to start the fire.

The incident was recorded on a security camera and “an investigation revealed that [Rodriguez] had been stopped earlier that day by police, resulting in her car being towed,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Court records show that Rodriguez was cited on Sunday for driving with a suspended or revoked license, lack of insurance, and no vehicle registration.

Court records also show that Rodriguez was charged in April with DUI and other offenses after an investigation by Pennsylvania state troopers.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan, in announcing the charges, said attacks on law enforcement would not be tolerated. “This is an outrageous and disturbing case,” Ryan said.

Rodriguez was being held in the Chester County prison on $75,000 bail.