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| Lavale Miller (inset) is charged with setting fires in three stores, including the Walgreens at 1001 West Belmont. | Illinois Dept of Corrections; File |
A convicted arsonist who’s on parole for setting a Roosevelt University men’s room trash can on fire in 2015 has been charged with three setting three fires in North Side retail stores, including a Lakeview Walgreens.
Lavale Miller, 38, was ordered held without bail on Sunday by Judge John Lyke.
Prosecutors say Miller has set three fires in the past month, with the most recent being at a Walgreens located near the Belmont Red Line. No one was injured in the fires.
On May 30, Miller was seen entering Discovery Clothing, 3300 West Belmont, around 8 p.m. A fire broke out in the store while Miller was inside and the business suffered a $1 million loss, authorities said.
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| A Lakeview Walgreens store is stripped of inventory and ceiling tiles as workers prepare to re-open following an arson fire. | File |
Then, Miller was seen running out of a Walmart store in the 4600 block of West North Avenue after a fire broke out in a clothing display around 4:30 p.m. on June 11, according to charges.
Finally, on Tuesday, Miller was seen setting fire to the paper goods display at the Lakeview Walgreens. A police spokesman this week said Miller was seen “loitering in front of the ignited paper.”
Prosecutors have charged Miller with three counts of aggravated arson.
State records show Miller was sentenced to three years for setting the Roosevelt University fire in 2015. He was paroled on March 6th.
