3 kids charged with arson in connection to fire at Starbucks

Three juveniles face arson charges after the outside of a Starbucks caught fire last week, according to the Florida Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations.

The juveniles were hanging around outside the Starbucks on Lakewood Main Street just after 11 p.m. July 1 when they started setting things on fire with a cigarette lighter, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report.

One put flame to a newspaper and tossed it on a patio couch outside the coffee shop, then engulfing it in flames. Another juvenile tried to stomp out the fire, but ended up getting second-degree burns on his ankle, the report said.

As the fire became uncontrollable, the juveniles fled to a gas station about a mile away. At the same time, a person called 911 and followed them, according to the report.

The juveniles were interviewed by a detective with the bureau and subsequently taken into custody to the Juvenile Booking Facility. One of the juveniles also faces a drug possession charge as they were found with a small bag of marijuana, according to the report.

The names and ages of the juveniles were not released.

The incident comes just days before Main Street on Lakewood Ranch initiated its “Parent on Site” policy, essentially trespassing unsupervised children 16 and under past 6 p.m. According to Lisa Barnott, director of marketing and communications for Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Inc., the ban had been in the works for months, in response to unruly, profane kids.

“The timing was coincidental,” she said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 3:53 PM with the headline "3 kids charged with arson in connection to fire at Starbucks."