Clinton, OK – A Clinton man with multiple prior felony convictions faces new charges in Custer County District Court after prosecutors say he assaulted a woman and set fire to a rental home earlier this month.

According to a probable cause affidavit, 33-year-old James Robert White was charged Nov. 7 with second-degree arson, domestic assault and battery resulting in great bodily harm, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred Nov. 5 at a house in the 600 block of Hayes Avenue in Clinton.

According to court filings, White is accused of willfully and maliciously setting fire to a the house. The home was reportedly unoccupied at the time. Investigators also allege White assaulted a woman by striking her in the forehead and breaking a finger on her right hand. The affidavit states her injuries included a laceration requiring stitches.

Officers later recovered a used hypodermic needle with a bent tip believed to have been used for controlled substances, according to the charging document.

The charges carry potential prison sentences of up to 35 years for arson and up to 10 years for the domestic assault charge. The paraphernalia offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Prosecutors also filed a supplemental information notice alleging White has at least two prior felony convictions, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Beckham County in 2023, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in Custer County in 2022, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Garvin County in 2014. Because of those prior convictions, prosecutors are seeking enhanced penalties of 20 years to life on the arson charge and three years to life on the assault charge.

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