A former Cary man accused of starting a fire in his Crystal Lake motel room was detained Wednesday in jail.

James Roever, 30, of Michigan, is charged with aggravated arson, a Class X felony, as well as possession of less than 15 grams of crack cocaine, according to the criminal complaint in McHenry County court.

In arguing for pretrial detention, Assistant State’s Attorney Margaret O’Brien said Roever is a danger to “every single resident” in the Super 8 Motel and the community. Knowing there were other people in the motel, Roever started two towels on fire in a garbage can in the bathroom of his room, O’Brien said.

He “admitted” to police he started the fire and said he did it to “separate himself from someone he thought was in the room,” O’Brien said. She added that police also found he had crack cocaine in his room.

At 4:50 p.m. Monday, hotel manager Sam Patel saw smoke coming from the room. He went to the room and, using water from the bathroom sink, extinguished the fire, O’Brien said. Police officers saw smoke and a “pile of debris consistent” with burning embers, the prosecutor said.

O’Brien said there are no conditions to keep the community safe from Roever. Though GPS and electronic monitoring may track Roever’s location, it cannot monitor what he is doing, the prosecutor said.

Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger argued for Roever’s release on GPS and electronic monitoring, saying he was staying at the motel while visiting friends. Roever lives with his mother in Michigan, and she has health issues and needs his help, Giesinger said. He also has family in Chicago he could stay with, Geisinger said.

The defense attorney also sought to cast doubt on prosecutors’ contention that the allegations rise to the level of aggravated arson. For that, the state would have to prove Roever damaged the building’s structure and caused damages in excess of $150, which Giesinger did not believe they did.

Judge Christopher Harmon told Giesinger he “appreciates” his argument but agreed with the state and detained Roever. Harmon found that in committing a detainable offense, Roever damaged part of the room and the building which he knew was occupied and, if released, there is no way to keep him away from items that can start a fire.

Roever is due in court Nov. 19.