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Man Arrested for Setting Fire to Dumpster Behind Restaurant: Prosecutors

By Nicholas Rizzi | September 24, 2015 8:40am
 John Wikehart, 40, was arrested for allegedly setting fire to a dumpster behind the West Shore Inn on Sept. 3, 2015.
John Wikehart, 40, was arrested for allegedly setting fire to a dumpster behind the West Shore Inn on Sept. 3, 2015.
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Facebook/West Shore Inn

TRAVIS — A man was arrested for intentionally setting fire to a dumpster behind a Staten Island restaurant earlier this month, prosecutors said.

John Wikehart, 40, allegedly set fire to the dumpster behind the West Shore Inn, at 3955 Victory Blvd., on Sept. 3 about 2:30 a.m., prosecutors said.

The blaze damaged the dumpster, charred a wooden structure behind the restaurant and caused fire damage to the exterior of the building, prosecutors said.

Authorities were looking into if Wikehart was a former employee of the spot or knew somebody who worked there, a law enforcement source said.

A manager at the restaurant declined to comment on the incident.

Wikehart was arrested on Friday and charged with arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment at his arraignment, the Staten Island District Attorney's office said.

His bail was set at $5,000 and he's due back in court on Oct. 8, according to online court records.

Wikehart's lawyer, Mark Geisser, did not want to comment on the case.