Arson charges in Lunds & Byerlys fire in downtown St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Prosecutors are charging a man with a history of mental illness for setting fire to the Lunds & Byerlys in downtown St. Paul at the end of March.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office has charged Timothy John Arsenal, 36, with second-degree arson with damages over $1,000, a felony that carries a maximum 10-year sentence, for the March 29 fire, according to the charging documents.  

According to the statement of probable cause:

Investigators reviewed surveillance video and spotted a man place his hand in the trash and recycling bins outside the store just before they erupted in flames sometime before 1:30 a.m. that morning.

An investigator then checked with Regions Hospital, where staff said a man matching the suspect's description -- a man carrying a white plastic bag and wearing a dark baseball cap, dark pants, and a light hoodie -- may have been a patient who left the hospital that same morning.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and identified the patient as Arsenal. They then reviewed hospital surveillance video and saw a man who appeared to be Arsenal leave the hospital at 12:50 a.m. – he was wearing the same clothing as the arsonist in the store video and carrying a white plastic bag. 

Prosecutors say that Arsenal was already in Ramsey County Jail on other charges, has been committed to mental health institutions in the past, and has three prior felony convictions, including burglary and theft.

A St. Paul police officer on patrol first noticed the fire at 1:30 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the flames, but not before there was extensive damage to the exterior of the building and the overhead canopy area, as well as smoke damage inside the store and an in an apartment attached to the building, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say the store had to discard approximately $350,000 in merchandise, and the total damage was between $500,000 and $800,000.

The store opened three days later, on April 1.