Two East Lansing 17-year-olds were charged with felony arson for their involvement in the July destruction of a Harrison Meadows Park playground structure.
Alex Charles Ellis and Jace Wickman were arraigned Tuesday and charged with two counts of arson of real property and one count of conspiracy to commit arson.
Each offense is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and, in this case, a possible restitution payment of more than $42,000.
Wickman allegedly contacted East Lansing Police Department Detective Jeff Walsh in August with information about possible suspects in the case and said Ellis was with him when the fire occurred.
Walsh interviewed the defendants separately and said he discovered differences in each defendant's sequence of events.
The pair allegedly confessed later to burning down the multicolored plastic structure on July 7.
Walsh said the 17-year-olds probably got caught up in the media attention the incident attracted and believed they could easily mislead officials.
"Being young and not knowing how an investigation is run, they thought they might be throwing me off by saying these things," Walsh said. "Once I heard two different versions from the same people, it brought up my suspicions, and I turned my focus to them."
Brian Morley, Ellis' defense attorney, said his client might be wrongly accused.
"Alex has not made any confession that he started the fire; he doesn't think he did (start the fire)," Morley said.
"I can tell you that when he left the playground, there was no fire," he said. "If he is responsible, he's devastated, but he just doesn't think or know what (happened)."
Morley added that he is waiting to see what item or substance started the fire.
Ingham County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Linda Maloney described the charges, but declined to further comment on the case.
Walsh said he didn't believe the 17-year-olds were attempting to gain the approximate $5,250 reward established to help lead officials to more information about the case.
In a prepared statement released to The State News, Northern Meadows Neighborhood Association Vice President Robin Willner said, "We have been through a lot as a neighborhood and we have survived by mutual respect and a commitment to a strong community. These same principles will get us through this tough time as we move ahead."
Walsh said defendants Ellis and Wickman were interested in splitting the $42,475 cost to replace the structure as restitution.
The 17-year-olds, who each live within one mile of the playground, are set to appear in court for their preliminary examination on Friday.
