FROM STAFF REPORTS

Two Harmony men face multiple charges, including arson, in connection with a suspicious house fire.

Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrests of Michael Andrew King, 19, of Arrowbrook Road, Harmony, and  Hayden Lamar Poore, 19, of Flora Lane, Harmony, in a news release Tuesday.

ICSO deputies responded to 146 Tomlinson Avenue in Harmony on April 19 to assist the Harmony Fire Department and the Iredell County Fire Marshal’s Office with a suspicious house fire.

The unoccupied residence was fully engulfed in flames when deputies and firefighters arrived. The home was vacant at the time and had no power, according to the news release.

The cause of the fire was determined to be suspicious and most likely arson by the Iredell County Fire Marshal’s Office.

ICSO detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene and began an investigation in conjunction with the Fire Marshal’s Office.

After collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses at the scene, two suspects were identified as King and Poore.

Detectives obtained evidence that King and Poore had broken into the residence on April 18 and again in the early morning hours of April 19, when the fire was set, Campbell said.

Both suspects were interviewed and gave statements about their involvement, according to the news release.

Arrest warrants were obtained charging both suspects with Misdemeanor Breaking and Entering, Felony Breaking and Entering, and Felony Burning of an Uninhabited Residence.

Both suspects were arrested on Friday, April 28, and taken to the Iredell County Detention Center, where they were served with the warrants.

King received a $10,000 secured bond, and Poore received an $8,000 secured bond.