On Tuesday, Shant Michael Soghomonian, 35, pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of maliciously damaging or attempting to destroy by fire a building used in interstate commerce. The charges stem from an incident on April 5th, when Soghomonian allegedly set fire to the entrance of Senator Bernie Sanders’ office in Burlington, Vermont. The fire caused damage to the building’s interior and sprinklers but fortunately, the seven employees present at the time were able to evacuate safely.
Multiple trash fires erupted in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on Sunday, prompting officials to issue a community warning. The incidents, which are suspected to be linked to two previous fires, occurred within a few blocks of each other and spread to nearby structures.
Maxwell Anderson, 33, of Milwaukee, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson in the death of Sade Robinson, 19. Robinson’s body parts were found washed up on a beach along Lake Michigan in Cudahy and South Milwaukee.
Kiski Township emergency responders are currently working to retrieve a vehicle that was set ablaze and pushed over a hillside near Hicks Hill Road. The fire sparked shortly before midnight on Saturday, requiring six hours of firefighting efforts from Kiski Township police and firefighters and multiple other fire departments. Injuries were sustained by three firefighters during the operation, elevating the potential charges against the unidentified suspects from arson to aggravated arson. Preliminary investigations suggest that no individuals were present in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Access to the area is challenging for standard equipment, prompting authorities to consider utilizing heavy machinery to extract the vehicle from the ravine.
