'Will burn together': Man set off explosion at ex-wife's house after threatening to 'take what we built,' cops say

A antheral successful Arkansas is accused of igniting thing and causing a "boom" astatine his ex-wife's location aft threatening to "take" what they had "built," authorities say.

Randall Hamblen, 50, has been charged with arson, second-degree battery, aggravated assault, and usurpation of a protective order, according to Garland County jailhouse records reviewed by Law&Crime.

The suspect is being held connected $100,000 bond.

On May 20, authorities accidental Hamblen drove his golden 2003 Dodge 1500 pickup motortruck to a location connected Tallentwood Place successful Garland County. He seemingly erstwhile shared the residence with his woman earlier their divorce, which was finalized 12 days before.

When a antheral opened the doorway to the residence and saw Hamblen, the suspect told the man, "Oh good, you're here. Get the dogs retired of the house," according to a probable origin affidavit obtained by the Hot Springs Sentinel Record.

The different antheral reportedly went retired the home's backmost doorway and walked astir to the carport wherever Hamblen was. That's erstwhile the fishy allegedly "leaned over" and "ignited something" and "a roar went off."

Authorities did not enactment what precisely exploded, but the affidavit stated that some men suffered burns to their bodies from the ensuing flames. Responding investigators dug into Hamblen's past, learning much astir his narration with his ex-wife.

The erstwhile October, Hamblen was reportedly served with a tribunal bid banning him from contacting his then-estranged woman arsenic good arsenic from going to the Tallentwood Place house. The pistillate claimed that Hamblen had been drinking much often and made threats to "burn our location down" if she changed its locks.

On Oct. 19, 2025, helium texted her that a divorcement would beryllium "mutually assured destruction" and that helium was "on the verge of earning the portion of maine I didn't privation to see" if she didn't speech to him, the determination paper reported.

He was allegedly threatening her for months and vowed to "take what we built" and said they "will pain together."

It is unclear whether the pistillate was wrong the location astatine the clip of the explosion.