Recent Fire Results in Multiple Charges for Easton Man

OCEAN CITY, MD – (August 13, 2015): Local law enforcement officers recently charged a seasonal resident for an apartment building fire last week. On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 5:22 a.m., the Ocean City Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the 400 block of Lark Lane, for a report of a fire.

According to the caller, at approximately 5 a.m., an unknown person poured gasoline on the porch of the two-story, six unit apartment building and lit it on fire. Occupants of several ground floor units noticed the odor of gasoline, and after discovering the fire, extinguished the flames prior to notifying authorities. At the time of the fire, the building was occupied by over 30 people, many of whom were asleep.

An investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office, with assistance from the Ocean City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, found that the fire was incendiary in nature. Investigators identified Luke Vincent Howard III, 18, of Easton, MD, as a suspect. On August 12, 2015, investigators charged Howard with first degree arson, second degree arson, second degree malicious burning, malicious destruction of property (under $1000) and reckless endangerment.

No injuries were reported in the incident. Howard is scheduled to appear in District Court for a preliminary hearing on September 9, 2015.