Penn State student allegedly set dorm fire to annoy girlfriend

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- A Penn State student has been jailed on charges he set a small fire in the stairwell of his girlfriend's dormitory in hopes it would trigger an alarm and annoy her.

The Centre Daily Times reports 18-year-old Doylestown resident Benjamin Bishop was arrested after police found burned paper and a charred pack of cigarettes near a stairwell in Simmons Hall.

Police say surveillance video showed Bishop burning the items.

Police say Bishop told them he had argued with his girlfriend and had been drinking and hadn't taken his anxiety medication. Police say Bishop hoped the fire would cause the building to be evacuated to "annoy" his girlfriend.

He faces a preliminary hearing Aug. 12. Online court records don't list an attorney for him.