By Guy Leonard, St. Mary's County Times
HOLLYWOOD, Md.—A Lexington Park man now faces 14 criminal counts in connection with two separate arsons he is alleged to have committed, first in February and again in June.
Tracey Otis Braswell, 20, remains incarcerated at the county’s adult detention center and faces charges of first-and-second-degree arson, malicious burning, theft, burglary and home invasion among others.
According to charging documents filed in county District Court, Braswell forced entry to an apartment rented out by Roosevelt Morgan and Kelly Jordan in June and set fire to a couch and the bed in the master bedroom.
Investigators also noted that the fire alarm had been removed and several photograph frames had been broken; mirrors had also been shattered as well as glass-topped furniture, and a television set had been knocked over, charging documents stated.
When fire marshals interviewed Morgan he told them that he had seen Braswell in the parking lot earlier that day and that he had told Braswell to stop associating with his son. Morgan also told investigators that Braswell had a pair of shoes Morgan believed to be stolen and that he told the alleged theft victim Braswell had the shoes.
“Morgan feels a combination of these two incidents provoked Tracy Braswell to break into his residence, steal personal belongings and set fire to the residence,” charging documents read.
The witness provided a list of stolen items, charging documents stated, and a subsequent raid on Braswell’s home on Lexington Drive turned up a majority of the items.
Braswell’s second indictment alleges that he stole and set fire to the interior of a car on Feb. 11. The truck was reported stolen from ACSI Concrete Company and the loss was logged at $20,000.