An unemployed boyfriend with an uncontrollable, hair-trigger temper became so jealous of where his girlfriend worked that he tried to burn her place of employment to the ground.
It just so happened to be a strip club.
Creio Chance Bishop, 21, of Huntington, West Virginia, set a local strip club on fire because he was tired of his girlfriend working there, authorities said. He was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 13 after he allegedly set the exterior of JB’s Gentlemen’s Club on fire, the West Virginia State Fire Marshal reported.
Bishop reportedly set the strip club on fire early Wednesday and fled to a nearby Walmart. A bystander who alerted police about the blaze said Bishop told him to “leave the fire alone and mind his own business,” WSAZ reported.
Deputies discovered Bishop near the scene with a black trash bag. The envious lover told police he was “tired of his girlfriend working at JB’s, so he set it on fire,”WCHS-TV stated.
Bishop has a long way to go if he’s going into a career as a pyrotechnic specialist or arson professional. His blaze only caused $1K in damage, Jim Reed, the strip club’s owner, told WSAZ. No injuries were reported.
Sheriff Chuck Zerkle, of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, said surveillance footage helped deputies identify Bishop.
“Young guy,” Zerkle told WSAZ. “He got himself in a big mess now.”
Bishop was being held at Western Regional Jail on a $10K bond on charges of second-degree arson.
Reed said Bishop’s girlfriend’s job was also in jeopardy because her boyfriend’s elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top floor.
“I hate doing it, but I got to protect my business,” Reed said, adding that she will be terminated if he gets out of jail. “He might do this again. It might be worse next time.
‘“It’s stupid. She’s trying to make a living for herself. He’s not doing nothing [sic]. She’s paying the bills, from what I understand.”
Reed said the girlfriend was a nice and quiet girl and was upset about the incident.
The two were apparently high school sweethearts. Bishop and McKayla Biedenbach apparently met in high school and have been together since 2013
Speaking to the station WSAZ, Reed said that Bishop’s girlfriend, first identified by The Smoking Gun as McKayla Biedenbach had been dancing at the club for the last six months to earn a living.
