DELTA, Mo. (AP) - A 19-year-old Delta man has been charged with starting a fire that damaged Delta High School in August.
Jeriel Brooks was already in jail when he was charged Friday with arson, burglary and stealing in connection with the Aug. 13 blaze.
Police say Brooks admitted entering the high school and stealing $20 to $30, plus some DVDs and CDS. Investigators say he claimed the fire started after he dropped a lit cigarette into papers in the school office.
The Southeast Missourian reports Brooks confessed to the fire while he was being questioned about an alleged meth lab found in the bedroom of his home on Thursday.
He was being held Sunday in Cape Girardeau County Jail, where a staff member said it wasn't clear whether Brooks had an attorney.