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Howard City man charged in arson case

Posted at 5:07 PM, Oct 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-02 17:07:21-04

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Howard City man has been charged in a string of arsons that happened Monday.

Theodore Chester Cosnowski III was arraigned Tuesday in Mecosta County District Court on three counts of third-degree arson.  He was charged as a fourth-time habitual offender and could face life in prison if convicted.

State police say he is one of three suspects in fires at three barns and an abandoned home in Mecosta and Montcalm counties Monday morning.  The fires were within a few miles of one another and they all began around the same time.

Warrants were issued for the other suspects in the case, an 18-year-old from Morley and a 20-year-old from Howard City.  Their names were not released.

Police say the suspects are also believed to be connected to a break-in that happened in the area at around the same time. According to a release, a person woke up to the sound of their door being kicked in and yelled at the suspects, who then fled the area.

There were no reports of injuries in the fires.