EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Arson Defendant Claims Robbers Set Blaze In His Hotel Room
Reported by: Bob Aaron
Videographer: John Tincher, Bob Aaron
Web Producer: Bob Aaron
Reported: Dec. 12, 2012 5:59 PM EST
Updated: Dec. 12, 2012 6:14 PM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The man charged with arson and attacking a fireman says he did not do it. In a jail interview, Michael Carter told Eyewitness News a robbery team of several men and a woman tossed a burning towel into his hotel room last Friday.
The blaze put out by the Best Western hotel's sprinkler system caused limited damage but forced the evacuation of the building. There were about 100 guests and the hotel staff.
Police say Carter's explanation makes no sense. Detectives suspect the fire in a seventh floor room was a suicide attempt that endangered others at the East Washington Street hotel.
Firefighters say Carter was the only person in the room and the only one who could have set the blaze.
Carter claims he barricaded the door with a mattress to serve as a shield in case the robbers shot into the room.
He is held in the South Central Regional Jail on a $250,000 bond.
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Bob Aaron
