Man pleads guilty to role in fire at Shoreview barber shop
SHOREVIEW, Minn. — A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to negligent fire for starting a fire inside a barbershop in Shoreview, allegedly to force the owner to move the shop to Columbia Heights.
The fire occurred at Pauly Ray's Sports Barbershop on Nov. 29, 2023.
According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video showed Dennis Manning, 55, using a lighter to ignite a cloth on top of some video games inside the shop just before 6:30 p.m. Over an hour later, a deputy saw Manning near the scene. Authorities arrested Manning and found a red lighter on him.
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Manning first denied starting the fire, court documents say. Eventually, Manning told authorities he "lit a string on a cloth," but still said he "did not start the fire." Investigators asked Manning why he lit the string, and he allegedly said he was "exhausted" and wanted to get rid of the string quickly.
Manning also allegedly told investigators he and the owner of the shop planned to move it to Columbia Heights.
The owner told authorities he had known Manning for eight years and he had previously worked in Manning's Columbia Heights barbershop, which recently closed. The owner said Manning repeatedly asked about moving Pauly Ray's to Columbia Heights, but the owner had no intention of doing so.
WCCO profiled Manning shortly before the fire, when his landlord notified him he had 45 days to vacate the space occupied by Sportsmen's Barbers, Manning's shop.
Charges of first- and second-degree arson against Manning were dropped as part of a plea deal. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7.
NOTE: The video above originally aired on Dec. 2, 2023.