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Belleville woman arrested for trying to set utility poles on fire
An accused serial arsonist is facing charges for allegedly trying to start fires across Metro Detroit.
FOX 2 - A Belleville woman is behind bars after being charged for being a serial arsonist and trying to run over a firefighter.
The backstory:
Kasheia Eitia Lewis-Strauss allegedly set utility poles on fire in Sterling Heights and Auburn Hills.
The 38-year-old is also accused of setting fire to an auto parts store in Ypsilanti.
Sterling Heights police said she tried to run over a firefighter during an arson investigation.
Timeline:
On Oct. 1, firefighters in Sterling Heights were responding to downed utility wires found to have been charred and smelled of gasoline.
"When firefighters attempted to contact the driver, she allegedly accelerated through the parking lot at a high rate of speed, nearly striking a firefighter," police said in a statement.
Sterling Heights police received information from Auburn Hills Police and Michigan State Police identifying Lewis-Strauss.
She was a suspect in reported arson incidents involving utility poles in Auburn Hills, and later the auto parts store in Ypsilanti.
Lewis-Strauss was arrested on Oct. 2, when she was stopped for a traffic violation by Pittsfield Township police and taken into custody with a warrant.
Lewis-Strauss Charged
On Monday she was arraigned in Sterling Heights court. She is charged with:
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Felonious Assault), a 4-year felony
• Third Degree Arson, a 10-year felony.
Strauss’s bond was set at $150,000 cash or surety.
Kaisheia Lewis-Strauss