Easton, MD Man Arrested for Malicious Burning

A 42-year-old Easton, Maryland man is in custody for malicious burning among other charges. The Easton Volunteer Fire Department yesterday responded to the University of Maryland Shore Medical System on South Washington Street after items were set on fire adjacent to the building. Fire Department personnel responded and quickly extinguished the flames. Upon reviewing surveillance footage, they identified the 42-year-old as Keith Martin Knotts Jr. who had previously been a patient at the hospital. He was observed putting a flammable substance on items next to the building and lighting these items on fire, before fleeing the area.
A short time later, police were called to a home on Will Street in Easton, where officers recognized Knotts from the surveillance video from the hospital and placed him under arrest. Knotts was transported to the Talbot County Detention Center to await a hearing before the District Court Commissioner.