Michael Butler Accused Of Setting Fire Near MD BOE Building
Investigators have charged a man from Maryland with starting a Fourth of July fire a short distance from a Board of Education facility.
Butler, Michael Gage
Michael Gage Butler, 30, of Cumberland, was arrested by Deputy State Fire Marshals. State troopers had arrested Butler last Thursday after he was linked to an Allegany County fire.
Around noon on July 4, the fire started close to the Board of Education maintenance building located at 211 Market St. in Cumberland.
According to officials, damage was kept to roughly $1,000 as firefighters from the Cumberland Fire Department and the Cumberland Police Department swiftly put out the fire before it spread.
Investigators claim that Butler was seen entering the area just prior to the fire on surveillance footage. He was observed lighting grass and brush with a lighter.
Butler is accused of intentionally destroying more than $1,000 worth of property. He was brought before a Commissioner of the District Court and then freed on his own recognizance while he awaited trial.
The Cumberland Police Department, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Cumberland Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Board of Education Security all looked into the case.
