A Chatham-Kent man will have to answer to a judge in court after allegedly trying to set a local business on fire.
According to the Chatham-Kent Police Service, witnesses saw a man lighting items on fire in a downspout located at the rear of a business on St. Clair Street in Chatham shortly before 7 p.m. on Thursday. The witnesses were able to extinguish the fire, but not before it caused damage to the property. The man fled the scene before officers arrived.
The same man was also seen on CCTV footage a short time later damaging a phone box at the intersection of Lacroix Street and Grand Avenue West.
Authorities later located a suspect and took him into custody. The 29-year-old Chatham-Kent man is now charged with arson with disregard for human life and mischief under $5,000.
He was held in custody for a bail hearing.
