Savage Man Gets 6 Years In Prison For Burning Courthouse During Unrest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — A Savage man who pleaded guilty to causing fire damage to a Dakota County courthouse in the days after George Floyd's death in police custody has been sentenced to 78 months in prison.

Fornandous Henderson, 33, and an accomplice were charged with arson and possession of Molotov cocktails.

Prosecutors say Henderson and Garrett Ziegler went to the Dakota County Western Service Center, which houses state and local agencies and the courts, on May 29 in Apple Valley.

According to a criminal complaint, Henderson and the co-defendant used baseball bats to break windows at the center, threw Molotov cocktails inside and ignited fires that damaged the building.

The incident caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

The fire damage came as unrest from Floyd's May 25 death in Minneapolis spread into the Twin Cities suburbs.

He admitted in his plea that he chose the building because he was angry with law enforcement and he had previously made court appearances there.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)