Mo. man charged with setting wife on fire

HIGBEE, Mo. -- A Missouri man is jailed on several charges after he allegedly set his wife on fire during a domestic dispute.

Randolph County officials say 45-year-old Willard Hunt of Higbee is charged with first-degree arson, first-degree assault and armed criminal action after he was arrested Monday.

His wife, Connie Hunt, is hospitalized in Columbia, Mo., with severe burns to her face and upper torso and arms.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports Connie Hunt told police her husband was drunk and threw gasoline on her face before lighting a cigarette or cigarette lighter. She put out the fire and left the house, which also caught fire.

Hunt is in the Randolph County Jail on $200,000 cash-only bond.

Online court records do not indicate whether Hunt has an attorney.

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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com