Lake Street dumpster arson suspect back in custody after nearly a month as fugitive

A 62-year-old man who allegedly torched several dumpsters on Lake Street “for fun,” according to charges, is back in custody after almost a month as a fugitive.

Bennett James Thomas, who has no fixed address, was arrested by Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies and jailed Tuesday. He has been charged with setting five dumpster fires on July 22 along W. Lake Street in Minneapolis, including one that spread to a building with retail outlets and apartments.

Thomas was jailed that same day and released two days later, after which a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged on Aug. 5.

Law enforcement caught up to Thomas, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Megan Larson said, when “he went to HCMC seeking medical treatment for something, and our deputies ran his ID and saw he had a warrant.”

Thomas remains jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

According to the criminal complaint, firefighters responded to an address in the 900 block of W. Lake Street that included a business and four apartments. They saw the blaze’s origin was a dumpster in the back. The flames and smoke did significant damage to the building and a parked vehicle.

Eight people who lived in the four units were asleep when the fire was set. They got out safely, but their possessions were destroyed. Total damage from the fire was estimated to exceed $200,000.

Soon afterward, another dumpster fire broke out on the same side of Lake at the Moxy Hotel in the 1100 block. Then came three more fires in dumpsters nearby.

Two hotel employees said they saw on security video a man wearing a towel on his head and carrying a grill lighter. Investigators saw him loitering nearby with the lighter and had him arrested.

After his initial arrest, Thomas told police that “he lights trash cans on fire for fun,” the complaint read.

While police were taking him to jail, he told an officer he threw a Molotov cocktail through a window because someone spit in his food. He added that he and his girlfriend were in the city goofing around and setting fires.