A local teen charged with setting the fire that destroyed a workshop near downtown Dexter has a preliminary hearing next week. 18-year-old Timothy Keeling of Dexter admitted to the arson, and told local police he also had set fires at his grandmother’s home in Saint Louis and at a home in Bernie. Firefighters responded to a store at Stoddard and Sassafras Streets at around 6:40 AM on the 17th. The shop was fully engulfed and deemed a total loss. Fire crews suspected arson and two witnesses led to Keeling’s arrest. The teen admitted to setting the fire with a cigar because he was depressed. Keeling is charged with felony second-degree arson. He is in jail on a 50-thousand-dollar cash only bond and will appear in court on the 12th in Bloomfield.
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