Jan 24, 2018 2 min read

A West Brownsville woman was arraigned Monday on charges filed by state police accusing her of calling in a false alarm to 911 last August, claiming her mother had set her house on fire.

Marsha Lynn Kovach, 43, formerly of 709 Main St., West Brownsville, is charged with false alarms to agencies of public safety, false reports to police, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of disorderly conduct.

State police were called Aug. 18 for a report of a fire at 709 Main. When the trooper arrived, he talked with the West Brownsville fire chief, who said the department was dispatched to that address for a fully engulfed structure fire with people trapped in the attic.

The trooper talked with Kovach, who maintained her mother had set the house on fire and people were trapped in the attic, even after being told that was not occurring. Kovach’s mother arrived at the residence and told the trooper there was no fire and no one was in the attic. The fire chief told police he had to cancel calls to numerous other stations to respond to the fire scene.

Police said Kovach was in possession of prescription pain pills when they talked with her.

Kovach was arraigned before District Judge Joshua Kanalis, who denied her bond because she could not provide him with a valid address. She was placed in Washington County jail and is scheduled for a Jan. 29 preliminary hearing before Kanalis.