LEBANON, N.H. (AP) — A man who was released on bail at a New Hampshire police station lobby lit a box of tissues on fire and poured hand sanitizer on it to fuel the flames, police said.
Lebanon police said Michael Fleming, 38, of Bradford, Vermont, had been released Thursday following a theft arrest but declined a ride home. When police left him in the lobby area, he took a lighter from his backpack, walked over to the dispatch window, and set the tissue box on fire, police said in a news release.
When an officer pushed Fleming out of the way and attempted to stomp out the flames, his boot and pant leg caught fire, police said. Fleming then threw the bottle of sanitizer at him and another officer, police said. A section of carpet and floor was burned.
Fleming was placed in protective custody. He was charged with arson, simple assault and contempt, police said. He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday. It wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer.
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