BRAINERD, Minn. - Police here are asking for the public's help in locating 38-year-old Enoch Harrison Stapleton III, who allegedly set fire to a home on Gillis Avenue in northeast Brainerd.
Brainerd police were called at 3:15 p.m. Thursday to a report of an assault that had just occurred at a residence in the 300 block of Gillis Avenue Northeast.
In a news release, Brainerd Police Chief Corky McQuiston stated police learned a 30-year-old Brainerd man had just returned home and upon entering his residence, he was confronted by a male inside of the home. The man was assaulted by the suspect who he recognized as an acquaintance from a few years ago. The victim grabbed his dog and fled the home, police stated.
When officers checked the home, they found the residence full of smoke. The Brainerd Fire Department responded with about a dozen firefighters and extinguished the fire, as neighbors watched from the alley and their yards.
Further investigation revealed the home owner most likely came home interrupting a burglary in progress, police stated. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but authorities believe the fire was intentionally set by the suspect after the homeowner fled.
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Stapleton is described as a white male, with dark blonde or brownish hair, brown eyes, 5'8" with a stocky build. Anyone with information on Stapleton's whereabouts, or this case is asked to call the Brainerd Police Department at (218) 829-2805.
