NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (AP) — A not guilty plea has been entered for a 26-year-old man charged with setting a series of fires that damaged vehicles and buildings in a Buffalo-area community.
Christopher Syracuse was arraigned Wednesday in North Tonawanda City Court on 11 felonies and four misdemeanor counts.
Officials say Syracuse set seven fires over a two-hour span beginning late Monday night and ending early Tuesday morning. Police say some of the fires were started in vehicles and the flames spread to nearby homes, damaging several.
No injuries were reported.
At his arraignment, Syracuse asked to speak but, without a lawyer there, the judge advised against it and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Syracuse is due back in court Thursday to apply for a public defender. Until then he’s being held without bail.
