A one-way ticket to Union Station — and the cuffs came out
Michael E. Barnette, 41, who owned the Dilworth home that blew apart on May 2, was arrested May 9 at Chicago’s Union Station after Amtrak police flagged an active North Carolina warrant, Chicago police said. He is being held in Cook County Jail on a fugitive-from-justice charge while North Carolina officials arrange extradition.From Lombardy Circle to a jail cell
Charlotte fire investigators ruled the Lombardy Circle blast intentional hours after the flames were doused. Damage was pegged at roughly $445,000, two neighboring houses were scarred, and both a firefighter and a next-door resident suffered minor injuries.
What the records say
Property files show Barnette bought the house in 2012 and kept a low profile until neighbors awoke to the boom heard for blocks. The Charlotte Fire Department later confirmed he was the primary suspect. Official cause remains “under investigation,” but investigators have already ruled out accident. 🔍
Fallout on the block
Curt Sowers and his husband watched the blast knock their home off its foundation; the city condemned it within hours. Their calls for debris removal have bounced around City Hall like an untuned banjo. “We can’t even get a trash bag delivered,” Sowers said.
The road ahead
Barnette had no bond as of Monday in Chicago; Mecklenburg prosecutors say a first-degree arson warrant awaits when he lands at Charlotte-Douglas. Neighbors want answers, firefighters want closure, and insurance adjusters want calculators.
This coverage is powered by nostalgia — literally
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About the Author
☕ Jack Beckett files from a booth at Einstein Bros. Bagels’ South Boulevard store, where the dark-roast refill policy is the only thing stronger than Charlotte politics. Thanks to Phillip Rice’s team for keeping the carafes hot and the Wi-Fi free — caffeine subsidizes journalism so you don’t have to.
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