A 49-year-old Lapeer man is facing two felony arson charges after investigators say he set fires at two downtown buildings, leaving a decades-old mental health drop-in center a total loss while police managed to extinguish flames at the city's main library before serious structural damage occurred. The man was arrested Tuesday afternoon on an unrelated felony warrant before detectives connected him to both fires through surveillance footage, and he is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning on two counts of third-degree arson along with a habitual offender enhancement.
Investigators determined both fires were intentionally set, working with police to trace their origins and review surveillance video. At the Golden Arrow Drop-In Center, the man allegedly started a fire inside a shed before throwing ignited combustible materials into a one-foot gap between the shed and the building, using a lighter to set common combustible materials ablaze. Flames were reported at the rear exterior and storage shed area. The man is also accused of starting a separate fire in a trash bin on the east side of the Marguerite de Angeli Library.
The scale of the destruction at the two sites could not have been more different. The Golden Arrow building was destroyed, while the library fire was minor; responding police officers used department-issued fire extinguishers to put it out. The lower-level eastern entrance at the library suffered exterior scorching, structural charring, shattered glass, and interior smoke damage, but the same outlet notes the facility managed to reopen at 1 p.m. following cleanup.
Surveillance Footage Allegedly Captured Threats Before the Fire
The County Press reports that surveillance footage from the Golden Arrow Drop-In Center recorded the suspect making explicit verbal threats to burn down the building hours before the fire was set. Multi-agency detectives identified him in part by reviewing camera footage from the drop-in center, nearby businesses, churches, and residential security systems, which the station's report says captured him wearing matching clothing at both fire scenes immediately before flames appeared.
Lapeer Police Department officers initially took the man into custody on an unrelated felony warrant before interviewing him and lodging him at the Lapeer County Jail, per the same account. He is now set to appear in court Thursday morning.
What the Charges Could Mean
Third-degree arson is a 10-year felony. The man also faces a Fourth Offense Habitual Offender notice.
A Longtime Mental Health Resource Lost
The Golden Arrow Drop-In Center is a peer-run, nonprofit mental health organization. According to the Lapeer Area Chamber of Commerce, the center offered a safe, non-clinical environment with free peer support, recovery-focused activities, community outings, and weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings for people recovering from mental illness.
The Marguerite de Angeli Library, located at 921 W. Nepessing St., was the site of the second fire.
