PERRY, IOWA – Police say an Iowa woman tried to burn down a multi-family dwelling where her husband lives, then fled in a rental car, but coordinated police efforts helped nab her racing through Colorado.
On Saturday, December 7, 2024, at approximately 12:30 AM, officers with the Perry Police Department along with the Perry Fire Department, responded to a reported house fire, located at 1215 Bateman Street in Perry, Iowa. The residence is a two-story residence, with a downstairs and an upstairs apartment, which were both occupied. Officers arrived on scene within minutes and quickly extinguished the fire, which was located on the west side of the residence by a back door. A white van that was parked next to the house was also on fire and was also extinguished as well.
After a short investigation at the scene, officers were able to determine that the fire had been set intentionally, and were able to identify the suspect as Rosa Perez Diaz, a 54-year-old female from Perry, Iowa, who is the estranged wife of one of the victims, who resided in the lower-level apartment. It was also determined that Rosa Perez Diaz had rented a white Chevy Malibu, with Missouri license plate number CZ9T9X, from AVIS in Johnston, Iowa on December 6, 2024. Perez Diaz utilized the rental car to drive to the Bateman Street address and start the fire and then fled the scene.
At approximately 5:00 a.m. the Johnston Police Department notified the Perry Police Department that the rental car had been flagged by a FLOCK License Plate Reader near Kearney, Nebraska. This information corroborated information that officers had received that the Rosa Perez Diaz might be fleeing to California.
At approximately 2:00 PM, Rosa Perez Diaz was stopped on Interstate 74 in Eagle County Colorado by a Colorado State Trooper and taken into custody on a Dallas county warrant from a previous incident. She was subsequently booked into jail at the Eagle County Jail, Eagle, Colorado.
Rosa Perez Diaz will be charged with the following charges:
• Attempted Murder, 707.11 (1), Class B Felony (4 Counts)
• Arson 1st Degree, 712.2, Class B Felony
• Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree, Class D Felony
Perez Diaz will be awaiting extradition back to Iowa to face the above charges.