Man Vandalized, Tried to Set Fire to Home, Police Say

A Marvine-Pembroke man vandalized and tried to set fire to his Bethlehem Housing Authority home on Tuesday night after he slapped her and accused her of seeing another man, according to court papers.

Brasheen B. Ruff, 31, who lived in the unit on Essex Court, was charged with arson and robbery, both felonies, as a result.

According to the arrest affidavit, Ruff arrived at the home at 9 p.m. with the angry accusation for his live-in girlfriend. He slapped her face and took her Apple iPhone out of her hands by force, police said.

Ruff then began to “destroy all of the items inside of the residence,” police wrote on the affidavit. An officer who arrived at the scene saw Ruff “throwing and destroying multiple items” in the home, police said. Ruff then fled through the back door.

Then, as police began to clear the house, they discovered several papers smoldering on the kitchen stove. The papers had been placed over the burners, police said.

Bethlehem firefighters arriving at the home discovered that the smoke detectors had been “forcefully removed,” police said.

The house never did catch fire, police said. Nonetheless, the damage from the vandalism was estimated at $1,000.

In addition to robbery and arson, Ruff was charged with criminal mischief/intentional damage and harassment.

He was arraigned before on-duty District Judge Roy Manwaring and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail.