Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jamie Clemons, age 34, of Pasadena, Maryland, with malicious destruction of a property by fire, in connection with the fire on July 28, 2017, at a bar in Pasadena. The indictment was returned on Sept. 11, 2019, and unsealed today upon the defendant’s arrest.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; the Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford; and the Anne Arundel County Fire Marshal Division Chief John Lane.
The one-count indictment alleges that Clemons maliciously damaged and destroyed by fire a bar known as Coconut Charlies, located in the 9100 block of Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena.
If convicted, Clemons faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. At today’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, U.S. Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite ordered that Clemons be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, Sept. 16, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and the Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Mary W. Setzer, who are prosecuting the case.
