A homeless man already jailed on charges he stole metal shelving units from an eastern Pennsylvania shoe store will now be charged with setting a fire that gutted the business.
Upper Darby police say 54-year-old James Morris told them he was using a lighter to look inside a closet at the Payless Shoe Store on July 6 when it caught a box of Christmas tinsel on fire.
Police say the four-alarm fire gutted the business, but smoke and water damage also affected several nearby stores. The shoe store hasn't reopened.
Online court records don't list an attorney for Morris, who faces a preliminary hearing Monday on theft and criminal trespass charges.
Police tell the Delaware County Daily Times they will add charges including felony criminal mischief and risking a catastrophe stemming from the fire.
Homeless Man Jailed on Theft Faces Shoe Store Fire Charges
Copyright AP - Associated Press
