Stuttgart man charged in September courthouse fire

A Stuttgart man was charged on Monday after purportedly starting a fire that burned down the Stuttgart Courthouse Annex in September last year, U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer announced Tuesday.

Donald Aaron, 45, of Stuttgart, appeared in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District in Little Rock on Monday and was charged with malicious use of fire to damage or destroy a building used in interstate commerce and malicious use of fire to damage or destroy a building that receives federal financial assistance, Thyer said in a news release.

Aaron will remain in the custody of U.S. Marshals pending his trial and if convicted, and he faces a minimum of seven years in prison for each count, Thyer said.

A fire at the annex, located at 312 S. College St., started about 3:15 a.m. Sept. 23, 2014, and at the time was not ruled as suspicious, ArkansasOnline previously reported.

The annex housed the Arkansas County sheriff’s office, offices of the Arkansas State Police, the 911 coordinator, the Office of Emergency Management, the Arkansas County Tax Assessor and County Tax Collector, the County Judge and the Emergency Operations Center, the release states.

No injuries were reported, but the building had to be demolished with an estimated damage of $2.5 million to $3 million, Thyer said.

Upcoming Events