Rimrock Man Arrested After Trying To Light A Trailer On Fire With His Family Inside

A man has been arrested after he attempted to burn down his trailer in Rimrock last Saturday with his family still inside. Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 52-hundred block of North Dave Wingfield Road at around 2:25 a.m. regarding a suspicious incident. One of the deputies contacted 34-year-old Jerry Follett, who was despondent over several personal issues and mentioned suicide before hanging up. His wife and two teenage daughters had moved to safety from Jerry’s attempts to burn the trailer and were waiting at a nearby business for deputies. Jerry had also been drinking, had a physical confrontation with his wife and had threatened “suicide by cop.” The initial call came from a family member saying he was pouring gas on the trailer and trying to light it. While inside the trailer, Jerry threatened to “kill everyone” and was waiving a machete and tried to light that on fire. When deputies arrived, Jerry was hiding next door. He was convinced to surrender and he was arrested. Jerry admitted to what family told police and was booked into the Camp Verde Detention Center on charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted arson of an occupied structure and more. He remains in custody on $500-thousand bond.