An Edgewater man pleaded guilty to attempted arson and walked away with a sentence of mental health probation after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into a charter school dumpster while wearing a disguise, according to court records.
Officers were watching Benjamin Scheie, 62, on a July morning last year because they had stopped him before, knew he had a concealed carry license, and had spotted a firearm in his rear waistband, according to a CPD report. Prosecutors said they saw him pull a Molotov cocktail from the trunk of his car, carry it into the parking lot at Horizon Science Academy, 4434 North Laramie Avenue, and drop it into a dumpster while knowing people were nearby. The dumpster smelled strongly of gasoline, police said.
While fleeing eastbound on Sunnyside Avenue, Scheie allegedly shed a disguise that included a wig, a fake beard, glasses, and a blue button-up shirt, hiding the items in a planter, according to CPD…