Antonio Whiteside, 26, of St. Louis County, is charged with one count of
attempting to destroy the Ferguson Supermarket by means of fire or
explosives on Nov. 24, the office of U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan in
St. Louis said in a statement.
Whiteside was indicted on Wednesday and taken into custody
late on Thursday, the statement said. If convicted, he could face up to
10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The alleged arson occurred after St. Louis County
Prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced that a grand jury had declined to
indict officer Darren Wilson for killing Brown on Aug. 9.
Buildings were set on fire, stores were looted and
protesters clashed with police as violence erupted in and around
Ferguson after the announcement. St. Louis County and federal bomb and
arson officers have been jointly investigating since the riots.
"This indictment is but one result of that collaboration,
which is an ongoing effort and I expect will produce additional
indictments at both the state and federal level," Callahan said.
Whiteside was the first person indicted through the
efforts of the local and federal investigative team, a spokeswoman for
the U.S. attorney's office said. But many arrests were made on the night
of the Nov. 24 riots, including a man charged with knowingly causing
fire or explosions, arrest records show.
Authorities have offered rewards of up to $10,000 for
turning in arsonists responsible for the burning of buildings on Nov.
24.
(Reporting
by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City, Missouri; Additional reporting by Carey
Gillam in Kansas City; Editing by Will Dunham and Mohammad Zargham)
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