Rochester Home Depot Arsonist Pleads Guilty

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Pine Island man has admitted to starting a fire that forced the evacuation of a large Rochester retail store early last year.

The fire was reported on the evening of May 23, 2024, at the Home Depot store in northwest Rochester. Court records say a Rochester police officer dispatched to the scene was told that a customer had started the fire.

The Fire Forced the Evacuation of the Store

According to a news release from the Rochester Fire Department issued after the incident, cardboard inside the business had been set on fire and the fire alarm was pulled to initiate evacuation. Firefighters found smoke coming from the rear of the building and an active fire in the racks.

The news release indicated that the fire was quickly knocked down using a water line, and the building was ventilated. One person was evaluated at the scene for smoke inhalation but was not transported to the hospital.

Witness Accounts Lead Investigators to Suspect

The criminal complaint filed against 38-year-old John Michael Thomforde includes statements from several witnesses who saw a customer engaging in suspicious behavior in the area where the fire started. Witnesses reported seeing the customer abandon a shopping cart, then return to it and select a large amount of high-value items.

The court document says one witness told investigators that the suspect had been in the store for several hours before the fire started and was the last person present in the aisle where the witness spotted smoke. Another witness noticed similar behavior and saw the suspect carrying a butane torch. A third witness reported seeing the suspect in the area of the fire with a lighter.

A Rochester Police Department investigator reviewed multiple security videos and identified  Thomforde  as the suspect. The criminal complaint says he was interviewed by investigators and admitted he was in the store when the fire occurred. The document also states that he initially denied starting the fire but later told an investigator that “it’s a possibility, as he hears voices and had used drugs that day.”

Arson Charge Reduced Under Plea Agreement

Thomforde  was charged with one count of first-degree arson. Today, he entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of third-degree arson.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

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