A federal grand jury in Erie has indicted 28-year-old Melquan Barnett on a charge that he set a fire at the Ember + Forge coffee shop during the May 30th riots.
The indictment, issued Tuesday, covers the same charge that had been filed by the FBI: one count of malicious destruction of property by fire.
At the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard A. Lanzillo on Monday ordered Barnett detained in prison while he awaits prosecution.