Man accused of setting woman on fire charged with aggravated assault

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The man who is accused of setting a woman on fire in southeast Houston is now in custody.

Harold Celestine, 60, has been charged with aggravated assault of a family member and criminal mischief.

Celestine is accused of pouring gasoline from a water bottle on 40-year-old Lasheak Wilborn and setting her on fire after accusing her of stealing his clothes.

The mother of two has severe burn injuries to her chest, left shoulder, left side of her neck and both of her inner thighs. A third person also suffered from minor burns as part of this incident, according to Celestine’s charging documents.

The third person told police that he had to use two blankets to put out the fire on Wilborn’s body. He also said that his mattress that’s worth $500 and his two comforter blankets worth $30 were damaged during the incident.

Despite reports from police that Wilborn and Celestine were dating, sources close to Wilborn say they were just friends.

Court records in Harris County show an extensive criminal history for Celestine dating back to the 1980s.

He was sentenced to 45 days in jail for criminal mischief, 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and pleaded “no contest” to an aggravated robbery charge in 1986 and was sentenced to 40 years behind bars.