CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — An Iron County man has been indicted on accusations that he started fires in Mark Twain National Forest and pointed a crossbow at a Forest Service officer.
Lucas G. Henson, 36, was indicted on Dec. 6 on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, arson and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty.
Henson is also currently facing charges in New Madrid Circuit Court related to the same incident, including robbery, stealing a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.
According to the indictment, on Oct. 23, Henson assaulted a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service and damaged United States property with fire. Charging documents say Henson set three fires across Butler and Wayne counties, which damaged seven to eight acres of National Forest Land, and pointed a crossbow at a Forest Service officer.
The U.S. Forest Service, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting.
