Saint Paul Man Charged with Setting Fire to Convenience Store Wall
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A man allegedly set fire to a wall outside a downtown Saint Paul convenience store and was arrested five days later wearing the same clothes.
Juel Antonio Satchell, 39, of Saint Paul, faces felony charges of second-degree arson and first-degree damage to property.
Saint Paul police responded to an arson report on March 17 at a building on Robert Street North. A security manager told officers he'd been notified of damage to a wood wall near Aiden Convenience Store and began reviewing surveillance footage that morning, court documents say.
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The footage showed the damage happened on March 12 around 9:02 p.m. The video depicted a man holding a lighter up to the wall and igniting the wood panels, the complaint states. Based on a previous incident involving similar damage, the security manager estimated repairs would cost between $3,000 and $6,000.
The security manager shared images of the suspect with his team. They reported seeing the man in the area about an hour before police arrived and said he'd walked toward Town Square.
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Officers found Satchell walking northbound on Minnesota Street from 5th Street. He was wearing the same clothing from the surveillance footage, according to court records. Satchell told officers he didn't do anything wrong and began yelling loudly.
After his arrest, police attempted to read Satchell a Miranda advisory, but he continued yelling and officers couldn't explain his rights to him, the complaint states. An investigator later went to the Ramsey County Jail to attempt an interview. Satchell yelled at the investigator, kicked the cell door repeatedly and said he wanted his lawyer.
Second-degree arson carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. First-degree damage to property carries up to five years and a $10,000 fine.
Satchell was also charged this week with first-degree damage to property in a separate incident from February. Around 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 5, Saint Paul police responded to the area of 7th Street East and Sibley Street on a report of a man who broke a window. A worker at a nearby building under construction told officers he heard a loud thump and went to check. He saw a man standing in front of a window waving a piece of wood, then swinging it into the glass, court documents say.
The worker went outside and asked the man why he did it, but the man walked away. The worker followed him for about three blocks. Officers found Satchell in front of Assumption Church, and the worker identified him as the man who broke the window, according to court records.
The building owner estimated the cost to repair the broken window at $4,937. Satchell is currently in custody at the Ramsey County Jail on the arson and damage to property charges.
Terrell Frye, 34, of Saint Paul, was taken into custody early Friday morning and booked into the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.