A Plymouth County grand jury has indicted a Plymouth man accused of setting his own home on fire before leading police on a car chase.
The indictment charges Edgar Newell with arson to a home, negligent driving, failing to stop for police and resisting arrest. It also transfers Newell’s case from Plymouth District Court to Plymouth Superior Court, where more serious cases are prosecuted and defendants can face longer sentences if convicted. Newell has not yet been assigned a Superior Court arraignment date.
Plymouth police said they were called to Newell’s house in June by a neighbor who said the home was on fire and someone had just left in an SUV. Police said officers came across the SUV while heading to the fire, but the driver, later identified as Newell, would not stop for them.