Houston-area restaurant owner charged in explosion at business partner's bar
A Houston restaurant owner has been indicted on three federal charges in connection with an explosion at a popular bar owned by his business partner, federal officials said.
A news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston says that 42-year-old Lyndell Price, 27-year-old Armani Williams and 39-year-old John Lee Price were arrested in connection with the 2020 explosion and accused of conspiring to set fire to Bar 5015.
Lyndell Price is the former owner of the Turkey Leg Hut and the current owner of the The Oyster Hut. Bar 5015 was owned by Price's business partner, also the former co-owner of the Turkey Leg Hut.
The three men face charges of conspiracy to commit arson and arson. If convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison. Lyndell Price and John Price could face a further five years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to use an interstate facility to commit arson of a vehicle.
USA TODAY was not able to immediately find an attorneys representing the men.
All three appear in court
According to KHOU 11, all three men appeared in court on Friday. After hearing the charges against them, they were released pending upcoming court dates.
Letitia Quinones-Hollins, John Price's attorney, addressed the charges in comments to local news outlet KPRC.
'This is a classic example of being very mindful of the company you keep,' Quinones-Hollins stated. 'Sometimes, the company you keep can get you into trouble.'
She also said that although Lyndell Price and John Price share the same name, they are not related.
Quinones-Hollins did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Friday.
What happened?
Charging documents allege that Price recruited and paid a group of people, including Williams and John Price, to pour gasoline on Bar 5015's entrance ramp and set it on fire.
According to the indictment, in the early morning hours of June 12, 2020, Williams and an 'unnamed co-conspirator' bought gasoline, gas cans and face coverings at a truck stop in Houston.
They then got to the bar's deck area and doused the deck and entrance ramp before lighting a piece of paper and setting it all on fire, according to the indictment. Investigators say that Williams called Lyndell Price to tell him that the 'arson was complete.'
According to local news outlets, the fire led to an explosion at the bar that left a 'debris field and several small fires.'
In the same indictment, investigators also allege that Lyndell Price paid John Price and others to set fire to a 1975 Chevy Nova that was stolen from an auto repair shop.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
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