Hagerstown Man Charged With Arson After Intentional Fires Outside Bookstore

On October 20, 2025, Michael Ofusu Boateng, a 27-year-old man from Hagerstown, was charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, and first-degree malicious destruction of property after intentionally setting two fires outside Wonder Book and Video on Dual Highway. The fires were discovered by firefighters near the main entrance and extinguished quickly before spreading inside. Witnesses and store surveillance footage confirmed Boateng was the suspect who ignited the fires. Shortly after, Washington County Sheriff's deputies arrested Boateng at a nearby Sheetz on unrelated charges, where he was found wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance video and carrying a lighter. He remains held at the Washington County Detention Center pending a bond hearing. The Office of the State Fire Marshal led the investigation, corroborated by witness accounts and video evidence.