FROM THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL

 

A Preston County man hired someone to bomb his former girlfriend’s car with a Molotov cocktail, arson and related charges allege.

 

Glenn Casteel, 60, of Kingwood, was arrested Jan. 19 on multiple charges arising from the alleged Aug.  incident as well as one on April 4, 2021 at the woman’s Kingwood residence.

 

On April 4, the ex-girlfriend discovered the insulation on the wire for her phone charger had been deliberately stripped back and placed on her bed, to cause a fire when the wire got hot, the charges allege.

 

On Aug. 8, Casteel allegedly hired two people to throw a lighted Molotov cocktail at her vehicle while it was parked at her residence.

 

Casteel’s arrest followed a 10-month investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the West Virginia State Police and the Kingwood Police Department. He is charged with criminal use of a destructive or incendiary device, conspiracy to inflict injury to persons or property; accessory before and after the fact; third-degree arson, and fourth-degree arson.

 

He remains at the Tygart Regional Jail with bail set at $285,000.