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Family Denied Peace Order Against Landlord Charged WIth Arson

DELMAR, Md. (AP) -- A Maryland judge has denied a peace order for a Wicomico County family whose landlord is charged with burning their home.

District Court Judge L. Bruce Wade told Eduardo and Patricia Machado on Tuesday that they didn't present convincing evidence that Andy Modeste of Seaford, Del., is an imminent danger. But Wade did rule that Modeste cannot contact the family as part of the ongoing criminal case.

Modeste is charged with arson and attempted murder and is being held on $1 million bond.

The family was granted temporary peace orders last week after Modeste was charged with setting a fire in a crawl space while the family slept. The family escaped unharmed, but it took firefighters an hour to control the blaze.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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