[Fox News] Michigan man caught after attempting to flee US to Hong Kong after fatal building explosion, fire: police
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The owner of a Michigan company that exploded in March, killing a 19-year-old and injuring a firefighter, was charged with involuntary manslaughter on Thursday, after authorities received an alert that he attempted to leave the country with a one-way ticket to Hong Kong.
The Clinton Township Police Department said during a press conference Friday morning that Noor Noel Kestou, 31, attempted to flee the U.S. after the fatal explosion at his vape and smoke business, Goo Smoke Shop/Select Distributors, on March 4.
Authorities said that Kestou illegally possessed and improperly stored nitrous oxide and butane cans.
“They shouldn’t have had this in there, period,” Clinton Police Chief Tim Duncan said. “It wasn’t allowed in this district.”
MASSIVE MICHIGAN INDUSTRIAL FIRE SPARKS HUNDREDS OF EXPLOSION, SENDING DEBRIS FLYING AND KILLING 1
At the time of the explosion, the illegal material rained down on civilians in a one-mile radius.
“There were some businesses that told us they had 30 holes in their ceiling from these rockets that were coming down on top of them,” Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said.
One of the canisters killed 19-year-old Turner Lee Salter, who was a quarter-mile away from the building.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said that involuntary manslaughter was the highest charge that could be presented based on current evidence, but the ongoing investigation may yield future charges.
WATCH: MASSIVE FIRE BREAKS OUT ON HISTORIC SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PIER
Kestou’s bond was set for $500,000 — cash only — with other conditions upon his release: he must wear a GPS tether, surrender his passport and any weapons, and not leave the state.
Lucido said that he did not know what Kestou’s “ultimate goal” was in attempting to leave the U.S.
“We don’t know what his ultimate goal was, to stay out of the country with a wife and a child here, but we do know that he is in custody, and I think he maybe made bond last night,” Lucido said.
Chief Duncan said that the cause of the fire and subsequent explosion is still being investigated.
He noted the intensity of the explosion is proving to be difficult for authorities to determine a direct cause immediately.
“At this stage, they’re still at the undetermined aspect of it — but they cannot exclude human involvement in this fire at this time,” Duncan said. “They would still like to have more investigation, more information come from some of the witnesses. Some of that is still coming out.
“Our hope is that in the future, when they actually get on the site and start pulling everything away, we’re trying to maintain that southwest corner of the building, which is where we believe the fire started, based upon the information we’ve seen.”
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Fox News has reached out to Kestou’s attorney for comment.
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