ATLANTA — More than two years after an apartment building burned down because of fireworks being shot from the roof, prosecutors have filed new charges.
Charnelle Gunn and Robert Stokes now face second-degree arson charges and 17 counts of criminal property damage, according to a court filing.
According to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, Gunn took an Alford plea, accepting 10 years of probation on counts 1 to 18, to run concurrently.
There were no special conditions for the plea, and Gunn will also have to pay $800,000 in restitution, the DA’s office told Channel 2’s Tom Regan.
The latest indictment was filed in Fulton County Superior Court on Oct. 31.
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A previous court document had listed the charges for both as only second-degree arson. Prosecutors entered a nolle prosequi on the initial indictment Nov. 12.
Gunn and Stokes were arrested in November 2023 after the Reserve at LaVista Walk apartments in northeast Atlanta caught fire and suffered major damage.
Investigators said Gunn and Stokes set off fireworks on the roof, sparking a blaze that forced hundreds of residents out of their homes.
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More than 80 firefighters responded to the fire that displaced 28 residents. Seventeen people were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. The road beside the complex was closed for months and the building had to be demolished.
For months, residents were unable to get their belongings out of their apartments.
Some residents told Channel 2 Action News after the fire that their belongings were being looted from the apartments that were sitting empty.
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