A Nashville man is facing nine felony arson charges after police say he set a string of fires near downtown over CMA Fest weekend, hitting multiple businesses and city trash cans as thousands of country music fans filled the streets.
Mitchell Stroud, 49, was arrested early Sunday morning after witnesses spotted him setting fires along 12th Avenue North near Broadway and gave officers a description. Surveillance footage from the area captured him starting fires at multiple locations, leaving several businesses with damage.
According to the arrest affidavit, Stroud intentionally set fires at the following locations:
- 12th Avenue and Grundy Street
- 12th Avenue and Demonbreun Street
- Goodfellas Pizzeria
- Night We Met
- McDonald’s on Broadway
- Exxon on Broadway
- Three city trash cans
- White Castle on Broadway
- Brasfield and Gorrie construction site
Officers tracked Stroud down at 12th Avenue North and Broadway and took him into custody. He was questioned in the Exxon parking lot alongside investigators from the Nashville Fire Department’s arson team. Stroud admitted to starting several of the fires, according to the affidavit.
He was booked on nine counts of felony arson. His bond was set at $135,000.