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Julian Cookerly, 32, was arrested on Tuesday following a months-long investigation into a questionable fire that had multiple points of origin and was sparked in September last year in Kent County.
First responders from the Church Hill Volunteer Fire Department were called in the afternoon of Sept. 27, 2023 to Church Alley in Chestertown, where there was a reported fire.
The fire was in a commercial building within the town limits, where the front was used as a business and the rear was set up as an apartment, where Cookerly was staying, officials say.
Investigators located multiple points of origin within the apartment, and they determined that the occupant of the apartment was responsible for setting the fires, which caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to the apartment and business.
No injuries were reported, they said, but both businesses were operating at the time the fires were started.
The Chestertown resident was arrested on Tuesday and charged with multiple counts of arson, second-degree malicious burning, and malicious destruction of property.
He was taken to the Kent County Detention Center, where he is being held pending his bail review that is scheduled for Wednesday.
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