An 18-year-old from Providence was arrested after allegedly stealing a quart of oil from a Hannaford grocery store in Milton, pouring it onto a bathroom floor and a cardboard box, and setting it all on fire while shoppers were still inside the store. Store employees managed to put out the flames before firefighters even arrived, and no one was hurt, but the blaze left the bathroom damaged and the business shaken.
According to the Daily Gazette, Samuel W. Carter was taken into custody after allegedly setting the fire while people were present inside the Hannaford. The paper reports deputies responded to a report of a fire around 8:30 a.m. at the Hannaford on Trieble Avenue, though CBS6 Albany reports the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office said it responded to the fire at 8:33 a.m. The station's report, citing investigators, said Carter stole the oil from the store before pouring it on the restroom floor and a cardboard box and setting them ablaze, causing damage to the business.
Fire Extinguished Before Crews Arrived
The Daily Gazette reports there was damage to the bathroom as a result of the fire, but store employees managed to extinguish it before the Rock City Falls Fire Department arrived on scene. News10 similarly noted the fire was extinguished before firefighters arrived and that no injuries were reported.
Beyond the fire itself, the same CBS6 report states that Carter allegedly stole a knife from the Allerdice Hardware store located in the same plaza as the Hannaford, and that he possessed that knife along with another one with the intent to use them unlawfully against another person. Deputies ultimately took Carter into custody after a foot chase, per the station's account.
Charges and Arraignment
Carter faces charges of second-degree arson, petit larceny, fourth-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to CBS6's reporting. The outlet added that Carter was arraigned in Milton Town Court and remanded to the Saratoga County Jail pending further proceedings.
As reported by DailyVoice, the arrest followed a chaotic scene at the Milton shopping center near Saratoga County Airport, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office. The outlet reported that a sheriff's official, Jeffrey Brown, said deputies dealt with an armed suspect who had started a fire and intended to harm anyone who approached him, and that no one was injured in the incident.
