Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Parolee Charged in Two Lakeview Arsons, But Other Fires Still Unsolved

By  Erica Demarest and Ariel Cheung | July 30, 2015 11:54am | Updated on July 30, 2015 6:37pm

 Eric Howard, 22, from Chicago Lawn, is charged with two counts of arson.
Eric Howard, 22, from Chicago Lawn, is charged with two counts of arson.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo; Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A parolee was held on $300,000 bail Thursday after prosecutors said he admitted to lighting two fires in Lakeview this week.

Eric Howard, 22, was captured on surveillance footage about 3:25 a.m. Tuesday as he opened a back gate and walked through an unlocked back door at 3223 N. Sheffield Ave., a building that houses Ald. Tom Tunney's 44th Ward office, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said during a bond hearing Thursday.

Inside the building was a partially carpeted wrought-iron staircase, prosecutors said.

Howard is accused of lighting the carpet on fire, before covering his face with his jacket and leaving the building, Scaduto said. According to court records, Howard started a second fire outside by igniting a bag inside a dumpster.

A neighbor who noticed smoke called 911 shortly after 4 a.m., Scaduto said.

When police arrested Howard on Wednesday, he admitted to starting the fires with a lighter, court records show. Authorities offered no clear motive.

No one was injured.

Howard, of the 6300 block of South California Avenue, is currently on parole for a 2012 burglary conviction. He was originally sentenced to probation, Scaduto said, but violated the probation and was re-sentenced to three years in prison.

Howard was charged with two counts of arson. On Thursday, Cook County Judge Donald Panarese Jr. ordered Howard held in lieu of $300,000 bail.

There have been multiple fires within a few blocks of the alleged arson, including a June 22 house fire that drew suspicion after two men were seen on surveillance video possibly setting the fire.

The following week, neighbors blamed fireworks for a second house fire.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: