A man was arrested and accused of setting a car on fire after he’d been paid to do it, the Baton Rouge Fire Department said.
Lawrenceen Wheeler Jr., 25, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Thursday, on a count of simple arson, the fire department said.
Nehemiah Shavers, 28, the man accused of hiring Wheeler to burn the vehicle, was booked into prison on May 27, on a count of criminal conspiracy to commit arson, the fire department said.
A 2009 Honda Accord was set on fire in the 4700 block of Shelly Street at about 4:30 a.m. on May 26. After the fire was put out, investigators determined it was intentionally set. Investigators found evidence at the scene and learned that Shavers had recently argued with the car’s owner, the department said.
The investigators said they believe Shavers arranged for someone to set the vehicle on fire.
Security camera footage showed a suspect, later identified as Wheeler, at the scene near the time of the fire. Investigators also found evidence that placed Wheeler in the area before, during and after the fire, contradicting Wheeler’s statement to officers that he’d been home on the night of the fire.