STERLING HEIGHTS (WWJ) -- A 38-year-old Belleville woman faces felony charges after allegedly setting fire to a utility pole in Sterling Heights and nearly hitting a firefighter with her vehicle.
Kasheia Eitia Lewis-Strauss was arraigned in 41A District Court on Monday on one count of Third-Degree Arson, a 10-year felony, and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon / Felonious Assault, a 4-year felony, in connection to an alleged arson spree.
According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, Sterling Heights firefighters responded on Thursday, Oct. 1, to a Dollar Tree store Hall Road on reports of downed utility wires.
Witnesses said they saw a woman walking repeatedly between a silver BMW and a nearby utility pole.
Investigators later found the pole charred and smelling of gasoline, prosecutors said.
When firefighters attempted to approach the driver, she allegedly accelerated through the parking lot at high speed, nearly striking one of the first responders.
During the investigation that followed, Sterling Heights police coordinated with Auburn Hills Police and the Michigan State Police. Authorities identified Lewis-Strauss as a suspect in a broader pattern of recent arson incidents, including utility pole fires in Auburn Hills and a building fire in Ypsilanti.
Officers with the Pittsfield Township Police Department then arrested Lewis-Strauss after a traffic stop on Friday.
“Arson and felonious assault are dangerous crimes that put lives at risk,” said Prosecutor Pete Lucido, in a statement. “Those who deliberately put others in harm’s way must be held accountable, and my office will pursue justice.”
Bond for Lewis-Strauss was set at $150,000 cash or surety.
She will next be back in court for a Probable Cause Conference set for Oct. 15.
