The man accused of intentionally setting his Charlotte home on fire, resulting in an explosion, has been arrested in Chicago, as confirmed by Cook County arrest records. Michael Edward Barnette, the homeowner, was apprehended last Saturday and is now facing charges of arson. With the Charlotte Fire Department naming him a suspect, he is currently awaiting extradition back to North Carolina, WBTV reports.
Details emerging from Barnette’s arrest indicate he was detained at Chicago’s Union Station by Amtrak police and subsequently arrested by Chicago Police after getting off an Amtrak train, he had with him a backpack containing personal belongings, a cellphone, and $500 in cash and upon his arrest, “requested to call the Pentagon switchboard,” according to a Chicago police arrest report, these new specifics were outlined in an arrest warrant obtained by The Charlotte Observer.
The incident in question occurred in the early hours of May 2, when a residence on Lombardy Circle was demolished by an explosion and subsequent fire. The Charlotte Fire Department later concluded that the cause of the fire was intentional, leading to an estimated $445,000 in property and content loss, as family homes nearby were damaged and two individuals, a neighbor and a firefighter, sustained minor injuries in the ordeal, as per reports by WCNC Charlotte…