Man sentenced to 4 years in prison for Uptown Minneapolis dumpster fires
MINNEAPOLIS — A judge sentenced a 63-year-old man to more than four years in prison for setting a series of fires in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood last summer.
Bennett Thomas, who officials say struggles with homelessness, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree arson for starting five separate dumpster fires on the morning of July 22, 2024. He was sentenced on Tuesday to 50 months in prison with 173 days credit for time served.
According to court documents, Thomas stated he lights trash cans on fire for fun. One of the dumpster fires spread to a building on the 900 block of West Lake Street. No one was injured, but residences inside the building were deemed uninhabitable. The fire was estimated to have caused more than $200,000 in damage.
Multiple businesses in the area also had to close temporarily as a result of the fire, including Ink Lab.
David Dettloff, who owns Ink Lab, said the electricity was significantly damaged on the outside of the building and inside ceiling tiles were damaged from water.
"Incidents like this, they hit the small businesses the worst," Dettloff said. "We're all a bunch of people who are stuck not being able to work because of a random act of vandalism."
While fighting that fire, the department learned of additional garbage fires on West Lake Street. An employee of a nearby business told police he saw someone setting the fires. Bennett was arrested a short time later.
Note: The video above originally aired on July 26, 2024.
