(Long Island, NY) A Riverhead man pleaded not guilty to attempted arson and a weapons charge at his arraignment this morning Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.
On the night of June 14, Monwell Wright allegedly filled an ice tea bottle with gas, ignited a homemade wick and hurled it at his neighbor’s house. The bottle bounced off the house and exploded on the ground.
Monwell Wright of Riverhead pleaded not guilty to attempted arson and a weapons charge at his arraignment. Photo Credit: SCPD.
District Attorney Spota said the homeowner had a video surveillance system installed after an incident last month when he found scorch marks on his vinyl siding.
“The footage shows the defendant outside the home at the time the bottle of gas was tossed at the house,” DA Spota said. “We are fortunate the house didn’t catch fire; there were six people, including a six-month old infant, inside when the Molotov cocktail hit the house.”
State Supreme Court Justice William Condon ordered Wright held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
