POTTERVILLE — A Christmas Day fire at an Eaton County motorcycle club building was set by a former member who had been kicked out of the club, police said.
A Michigan State Police investigation determined Leo Allan Krepps II, 47, broke into the Diamondbacks Motorcycle Club building on Windsor Highway on Dec. 25 and set it afire using gasoline, a trooper testified in a warrant hearing that led to criminal charges against Krepps.
Krepps was arraigned July 3 in Eaton County District Court on charges of third-degree arson and breaking and entering and was released on a personal bond, court records indicate. An attorney for him declined to comment on Friday.
No one was injured in the 10:45 a.m. blaze at the club’s property on Windsor Highway at Nixon Road, fire officials said at the time. Crews from the Windsor Township, Benton Township, Delta Township, Eaton Rapids and Grand Ledge fire departments responded, and the blaze was extinguished in about an hour.
Gas cans were found inside the building, with splash marks found on the walls, the trooper testified in the warrant hearing.
Club members pointed investigators toward Krepps, who had previously been “removed from the club” and was believed to have broken into the building on a prior occasion, the trooper indicated.
The club provided video showing someone wearing a mask arriving at the club on a motorcycle on Christmas Day, the trooper testified. Club members identified the bike as the same type used by Krepps, and tattoos on the suspect’s hands matched Krepps’ tattoos, the trooper said. The suspect could be seen starting the fire on video.
Krepps denied setting the fire, the trooper said.
A hearing to determine whether Krepps should stand trial on the charges is set for Oct. 4.
Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Police: Disgruntled ex-member set fire to Eaton County motorcycle club