The Illinois State Fire Marshal's office was called in to investigate the March restaurant fire in Bushnell, Ill. and the owners of the Brickhouse restaurant have now been arrested on charges of aggravated arson and arson.
37-year-old Ricky Roberts of Macomb and 34-year-old Allison Roberts of Bushnell have been accused of setting fire to the restaurant at 455 W. Main Street. The building was completely destroyed.
Nathan Woodside with the McDonough County Voice writes that Bushnell Police Chief Merv Hilliard said the investigation indicated that the fire was set with intentions of defrauding the business's insurance company.
There were no injuries reported although there was at least one occupant in the adjacent apartment who escaped. For that reason, the grand jury upgraded one of the charges to an aggravated status.
The restaurant had just opened in October of 2010 and the third owner had no comment to McDonoughVoice.com. Read that whole story here.
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