Chicago man faces arson charges in downtown Elgin garbage fires

A Chicago man has been arrested after being accused of setting multiple fires in garbage cans and a dumpster in downtown Elgin last week.

The Kane County state’s attorney’s office charged David Rosales, 27, with five counts of felony arson as well as seven other felony counts of criminal damage to government property and criminal damage with fire.

Officials say that in the early morning on June 4, Rosales lit fires in multiple metal garbage cans belonging to the city of Elgin throughout downtown, as well as a plastic trash can at a Pace Bus terminal and an industrial-sized dumpster on the 0-100 block of Douglas Avenue. The dumpster fire damaged an adjacent transformer.

Rosales was arrested by Elgin police without incident.

Rosales was ordered detained in the Kane County jail while his case is pending. His next court appearance is set for June 12.