Sixteen-year-old Makayla Green said she forgave the homeless man that set her house on fire.
After Manitowoc police arrested 56-year-old Charles Cantrell III for the fire that destroyed a home on the 330-block of Mero Street last Monday, Makayla was able to talk with him on the phone.
Green was in the process of buying that vacant home. It was the home her grandmother grew up in, and she wanted to move her grandmother back there once the home was purchased and fixed up. Green says when talking, he was crying and upset.
“The first thing he said is I am so so sorry and you could hear the tears and the cracking in his voice,” Green said. “I told him you know, I forgive you and this is your chance to turn your life around.”
Cantrell was identified based on tips police received after reports about the arson case.