Detectives with the Cornelius Police Department, in cooperation with representatives of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Long without incident at his home on Casa Bloma Drive in Riverview, Fla. At press time, Long was being processed in the Hillsborough County Jail in Florida awaiting an extradition hearing.
Long is charged with one felony count of malicious use of explosive to damage property and one felony count of burning personal property.
According to a summary of the case provided by the Cornelius Police Department, on Saturday, Sept. 24, while Long was in town for contract work at McGuire, he was issued a citation by a Cornelius officer.
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 12:09 p.m., Cornelius police responded to a patrol car on fire in the parking lot of the Rite Aid next to the police station on Catawba Avenue.
Cornelius detectives and Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal investigators discovered a small item under the rear of the patrol car they believe was used to set the fire.
Police began looking for a white, male suspect basing their search on several surveillance photo images obtained from nearby businesses around the time of the crime. The investigation eventually led to Long.
