Rock Falls woman charged with arson, accused of setting car on fire

MORRISON – A Rock Falls woman is charged with arson after prosecutors said she set a car on fire in Rock Falls.

Taylor A. Zinke, 24, faces three to seven years in prison if convicted.

She was charged Dec. 1, arrested Tuesday and freed Wednesday under the terms of the Pretrial Fairness Act. Her preliminary hearing is Feb. 5.

According to Whiteside County court records, including a no-stalking, no-contact order of protection filed against Zinke, and the Rock Falls Fire Department incident report, Zinke allegedly set a 2015 Ford Fiesta on fire about 6:45 a.m. Nov. 2 in the driveway of a house in the 2100 block of French Street.

When firefighters arrived, the passenger compartment was engulfed, and because the car was parked about five feet from the house, the flames melted the siding, the incident report said.

In granting the protective order, the court told Zinke to return a bin of keepsakes the resident said she took from the home.