June 20, 2005

Smoke bomb ignites bushes

       An eighteen year-old Plainfield, Illinois man was arrested today on charges of criminal mischief after he was suspected of throwing a smoke bomb from his car.  The smoke bomb landed in some bushes near the edge of the street at 1610 Library Boulevard and ignited.  The fire destroyed the bushes and a nearby fence along with damaging a tree.  The damage is estimated at around $1,000. 

         Daniel R. Beamish was arrested by the White River Township Fire Marshal following the investigation that ensued after the first-arriving firefighters discovered the remnants of an incendiary device.  Mr. Beamish was booked into the Johnson County Jail on a Class A misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.  According to the White River Township Fire Department, he was riding in a car with friends when he threw a lit smoke bomb into the yard.  The smoke bomb subsequently landed in a bed of bushes and mulch that was extremely dry due to recent weather conditions.  Because the resulting fire was unintentional, the charge was reduced from a felony arson charge to the misdemeanor.
 

          
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