Man Pleads Guilty to Burning Minnesota Courthouse During Unrest

August 28, 2020

A man accused of causing fire damage to a courthouse in Minnesota’s Dakota County in the days after George Floyd’s death in police custody has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting arson.

Fornandous Henderson, 32, of Savage, entered the plea in federal court on Aug. 26. No sentencing date was immediately scheduled.

Henderson and an accomplice were charged with arson and possession of Molotov cocktails.

Prosecutors say Henderson and Garrett Ziegler went to the Dakota County Western Service Center, which houses state and local agencies and the courts, on May 29 in Apple Valley.

According to a criminal complaint, Henderson and the co-defendant used baseball bats to break windows at the center, threw Molotov cocktails inside and ignited fires that damaged the building.

The fire damage came as unrest from Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis spread into the Twin Cities suburbs.

Topics Minnesota

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