The Eastern North Carolina town of Pikeville only has 670 people in it, so that narrowed the list of suspects for burning down the town hall in November.
But the person recently arrested for the arson is among the last townsfolk would have suspected: Kelvin Robinson, a 38-year-old who's been a town public works employee since 2014.
The NC State Bureau of Investigation made the arrest, media outlets report, and agents have accused Robinson not only of burning the building, but of taking $900 before setting the fire, reported TV station WITN. Pikeville is about 3 1/2 hours east of Charlotte, in Wayne County.
Robinson was put on administrative leave when he was arrested Feb. 1 and fired on Tuesday after his first court appearance, reported the Goldboro News-Argus. He was placed in the Wayne County Detention Center under a $25,000 secured bond, reported the Goldsboro Daily News.
The double-wide modular that served as town hall was destroyed by fire in the first week of November, media outlets reported. The fire led to a "total loss of contents," including the loss of town records, according to the News-Argus.
(c)2018 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
