FRANKLIN – A judge has ordered a homeless man to remain in jail after he was arrested and charged with arson in connection with a fire at a Rose Lane residence earlier this month.
Guy Wheeler, 56, whose last known address was in Salisbury, was ordered held without bail during his arraignment Friday in Merrimack Superior Court. Prosecutors asked that he remain in custody as a preventative measure, arguing that Wheeler is a threat to the community, according to Anthony Booth, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, who was at the hearing.
Wheeler was arrested Thursday on one felony-level charge of arson, according to a media statement released by state Fire Marshal Paul J. Parisi, Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein, and Franklin Fire Chief Kevin LaChapelle.
The fire at the Rose Lane residence occurred on Dec. 3.
Authorities, knowing there was a warrant out for Wheeler’s arrest, took him into custody after they spotted Wheeler’s vehicle and neighbors directed them to an apartment where Wheeler was thought to be, Booth said.
Wheeler was returned to the Merrimack County correctional facility after his arraignment.
The investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Franklin Police and Fire departments is ongoing.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Franklin Police Department at 603-934-2535 or the State Fire Marshal’s Office’s Bureau of Investigations at 603-223-4289.
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