Dameon Dashawn Tucker was already in the Clinton County Jail for a probation violation at the time of his arrest Friday on murder and arson charges.

Tucker had been charged with forgery, identity theft, unauthorized use of a credit card and fifth-degree theft in December 2006 after he took a credit card out of a woman’s purse at Wendy’s restaurant in Clinton and used it to make unauthorized online purchases, according to court records.

In March 2007, he was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to the identity theft charge and received deferred judgment on the forgery charge.

His probation officer, Kelly Greenwalt, filed a petition Jan. 8 to have Tucker’s probation revoked and he  was taken into custody on Jan. 13. In the petition, Greenwalt wrote Tucker had violated his probation by admitting he had smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol.

The petition also read that Tucker had been working at Moulded Fibre in Clinton, but was fired Dec. 14 because of poor attendance, two days before the Clinton apartment fire in which Angel Herman and her 2-year-old son were found dead. 

Greenwalt also wrote in the report that Clinton police were called to Tucker’s apartment on Nov. 23 after his girlfriend reported that Tucker had tried to commit suicide by taking an unknown amount of Advil.

Tucker became combative when emergency personnel tried to revive him, and one officer used a Taser to subdue him, according to court records. Tucker was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Clinton, and said he had been drinking whiskey that night, according to court records.