Man pleads not guilty to setting woman on fire

November 24, 2009 12:00 pm • Last Updated: October 31, 2014 9:21 am

Howard Stewart, 50, of New Haven, Conn., is arraigned in Superior Court in New Haven, Conn., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Stewart's Public Defender, Renee Cimino is at right.

NEW HAVEN (AP) — A New Haven man has pleaded not guilty to allegations he set his girlfriend on fire and tried to set her 12-year-old daughter ablaze.

Fifty-year-old Howard Stewart appeared in New Haven Superior Court on Tuesday. He's charged with arson, assault and other crimes.

Police say Stewart doused 35-year-old Christina Lee and her daughter with an accelerant and set Lee on fire on Nov. 15, after the girl accused him of abusing her and Stewart and Lee argued about the allegation.

Lee remains at Bridgeport Hospital with burns on about 40 percent of her body. Police say the girl managed to escape unharmed and rescued the 3-month-old daughter of Lee and Stewart from the burning home.

Stewart is to return to court Dec. 9. He's being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

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Information from: WTNH-TV, http://www.wtnh.com

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