Bond Set For Suspect In Grand Forks Restaurant Arson Fire

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - Bond is set at $50,000 for a man accused of torching a Somali restaurant in Grand Forks.

25-year-old Matthew Gust, of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, made his initial court appearance Wednesday. Court documents indicate he could enter a plea Jan. 19 to a felony arson charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

Gust is accused of throwing beer bottle filled with gasoline through a window at Juba Coffee House on Dec. 7, starting a fire that caused an estimated $90,000 in damage. It happened three days after vandals spray-painted what some have described as a Nazi-like symbol on the business, along with the words "go home." Authorities didn't immediately link the fire and the vandalism.

The Associated Press requested comment from defense attorney Theodore Sandberg.