Mother of Accused Arsonist Says Son’s Mental Health Calls Went Unanswered
The mother of a man accused of setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion said she made calls about her son’s mental health before the arson, but that “nobody would help.”
Cody Balmer, 38, was arrested Sunday and is accused of firebombing the residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) earlier that morning. Police said Balmer scaled the mansion’s iron security fence, evaded officers who became aware of the breach and set fire to the residence using beer bottles filled with gasoline to make Molotov cocktails.
Shapiro, his wife, and their four children were not at the residence at the time, but had stayed there the night before to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover. Balmer turned himself in to authorities, and said he had planned to beat Shapiro with a sledgehammer he had found, according to court documents.
Balmer told state police he was “harboring a hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” according to his charging documents. But at a news conference, Shapiro stressed a full motive hasn’t become clear yet.
“We don’t know the person’s specific motive yet,” Shapiro said. “But we do know a few truths. First: This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another. It is not OK, and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
The suspect’s mother, Christie Balmer, told The Associated Press on Monday that her son had stopped taking an unspecified medication, and that she had made calls days before the arson about his mental health issues, but that “nobody would help.”
At his arraignment hearing on Monday, Cody Balmer told a judge he did not have a mental illness, saying that was a “rumor.” He added that “medication led me to different kinds of behaviors.”
Balmer, who has previously been charged for domestic violence against his kids and their mother, was denied bail. His next court date is April 23.
