Man Charged With Arson After Allegedly Setting Fire to RI Manufacturing Plant

Man Charged With Arson After Allegedly Setting Fire to RI Manufacturing Plant

A man who allegedly broke into a Woonsocket manufacturing plant and set fires was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury, announced U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman.

Jacob Lahousse, 20, who has no known address, was indicted on a charge of arson. More charges may be pending.

He was ordered detained in federal custody by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan.

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The Investigation:

Woonsocket Police Department responded to an alarm at Sports Systems Custom Bag Corporation in the early morning hours of April 5, 2019, and discovered smoke in the building and water flowing from sprinkler heads in the basement and first floor.

A small fire inside a desktop computer lying on the floor in the basement and smoldering papers on a desk in a first-floor office was quickly extinguished. The sprinkler system had contained or extinguished most of the fire prior to the fire department’s arrival, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Investigators also observed evidence of forced entry, smashed computers, ransacked offices, and attempted forced entry into a safe, said federal authorities.

According to the U.S. Attorney, investigators also retrieved a smashed and badly damaged DVR used to record security camera images. According to court documents, recovered video surveillance shows a person using a ladder to access the building. The same person is seen walking around the building collecting various items and placing them into bags, which he obtained from within the facility.

The video shows that at one point the person takes down an American flag hanging in the building, folds it in a military fashion, and then places it into his backpack.

According to court documents, the individual is seen in the video initially touches several items in the building then puts on a pair of gloves and wipes down those places he previously touched. He also disabled and destroyed several surveillance cameras.

Images of the individual captured on video and retrieved from the security camera DVR were posted by law enforcement to Rhode Island’s Most Wanted website. Information from the public assisted law enforcement in identifying the person as allegedly being Lahousse.

Law enforcement located and arrested Lahousse on December 26, 2019.