Man charged with arson after tossing lit matches on Suncoast chairs

By Jackie Valley

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 | 2:54 p.m.

A 28-year-old man was charged with arson after allegedly setting chairs on fire Saturday night at the Suncoast, fire officials said.

Fredric Haynes, of Las Vegas, was arrested and charged with one count of fourth-degree arson and one count of first-degree arson, said Tim Szymanski, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue spokesman.

No one was injured during the incident. The small blaze caused $500 of damage, Szymanski said.

Witnesses told fire investigators that as Haynes was on his way out the casino, he allegedly lit matches and threw them on several chairs, Szymanski said. Haynes left when one chair caught fire.

A Suncoast guest pulled the burning chair outside to the valet area, where hotel staff extinguished it, Szymanski said. Damage was confined to the chairs and a small area on the casino floor.

Metro Police, State Pardons and Parole, Suncoast security and fire investigators identified the suspect and tracked him to a downtown hotel, Szymanski said. Fire investigators found Haynes at the unidentified hotel, where he was arrested and transported to the Clark County Detention Center, Szymanski said.

Haynes remains in the detention center with bail set at $25,000. The investigation is ongoing.