Attempted murder charges filed in arson case

Attempted murder charges have been filed against a Columbia man after he was accused of paying an employee $500 to burn down a woman’s trailer at the corner of Rock Quarry Road and Grindstone Parkway in late 2014.

Mehrdad Fotoohighiam was charged on Thursday with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. That’s in addition to the arson charge he already faced for the alleged crime.

ABC 17 News called the St. Charles prosecuting attorney’s office to learn more about the new charges after the prosecutor filed a complaint today in the case, but did not receive a response.

Fotoohighiam’s lawyer told ABC 17 News Thursday night that he would be pleading not guilty to the new charges.

ABC 17 News previously reported that in Dec. of 2014, firefighters found a woman who was bleeding with second degree burns after escaping from the trailer.

One of Fotoohighiam’s former employees told ABC 17 News that he had had an ongoing dispute with the woman who owned the trailer.

In October of 2016, a judge revoked Fotoohighiam’s $5 million bond for the case.

For more information on Fotoohighiam, click here.