PA Governor Josh Shapiro
Alleged Arsonist Hospitalized …
After Sad Mug Shot
Published
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro‘s alleged arsonist had his mugshot publicly released Monday — and the guy certainly appears glum.
The Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office released the booking photo of Cody Balmer, who allegedly set fire to Shapiro’s house while the governor, his wife, his kids and another family were inside as they celebrated Passover — the Jewish holiday — this past weekend. Luckily, the Shapiros and their guests made it out of the blaze alive and unscathed.
Check out the mug shot … Balmer looks like he just lost his dog, with his droopy face and sullen eyes. Prosecutors just hit Balmer with a truckload of charges, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, reckless endangerment, terrorism and other offenses.
Meanwhile, Dauphin County Prison Warden Gregory Briggs tells TMZ … Balmer is currently being evaluated at a Pennsylvania hospital, which is why his arraignment Monday morning was canceled.
A rep for the Pennsylvania State Police tells us Balmer suffered a “medical event” unrelated to his arson arrest, but his condition was not immediately released.
What’s more, Briggs says he’s been in talks with state correction officials about housing Balmer in one of their facilities. Briggs says there’s concern about Balmer’s violent nature, and says state penitentiaries are better equipped to deal with those security issues.
According to court documents, Balmer confessed to scaling a fence, breaking a window with a hammer, and tossing Molotov cocktails inside Shapiro’s house, which badly damaged a portion of it.
The documents say Balmer ordered his ex-girlfriend to tell cops he was responsible for the alleged crimes before he surrendered to the police.