Kenosha arson: Milwaukee man sentenced to 5 years in federal prison

Esmond King of Milwaukee was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 27 to five years in federal prison for a Kenosha arson from September 2021. 

King, 33, will also spend three years on supervised release following his prison term and will be required to pay over $271,000 in restitution related to the property damage caused by his offense.

King entered a guilty plea to the offense in 2022. 

According to court filings, King broke into Mary’s Beauty Salon in Kenosha during the early morning of September 11, 2021. While inside, officials say King used a combustible aerosol to ignite a fire inside the office within the salon. Officers arrested King as he exited the salon and brought him to the Kenosha Police Department for processing. 

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The Kenosha Fire Department responded to the scene and was able to extinguish the fire. However, the fire and smoke had damaged not only significant portions of the salon but also businesses that shared the same building. While King was being taken into custody, he threatened to kill officers and their families.

A news release says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives ("ATF") Chicago Field Division investigated the case, assisted by the Kenosha Police Department and Kenosha Fire Department and it was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Smyczek.