Boyfriend burns down Maryland bar to hide assault footage, feds say. He blames steroids
A 36-year-old man accused of hurling over a dozen flaming plastic cups filled with gasoline at a bar in Maryland to destroy video surveillance footage that showed him assaulting his girlfriend has been sentenced to prison.
Jamie Clemons, of Pasadena, Maryland, was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay over half a million dollars in restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said Oct. 29 in a news release . Clemons pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of a property by fire in April.
The charges date to July 28, 2017, when investigators said an intentionally set fire destroyed a bar in Pasadena called Coconut Charlie’s. At least one firefighter was injured, and the bar shuttered permanently after the blaze.
“Thank you to everyone for your support since 2008. It’s been a long road over the past 4 plus years and justice was served today,” the bar said in a statement on Facebook after Clemons’ sentencing was announced.
Defense attorneys representing Clemons have not responded to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
In court documents, Clemons’ lawyers asked a judge for a reduced sentence. Citing the coronavirus pandemic, they said he has been subject to “inhumane” treatment at the corrections facility where he has been housed since his arrest and that he struggles with steroid abuse stemming from his premature birth and “inferior stature.”
A devastating fire
A 911 operator in Anne Arundel County received a call about a fire at Coconut Charlie’s just before 3 a.m. on the day the bar burned down, according to a court documents. At least 70 firefighters responded to the blaze, one of whom was injured when a backdraft forced him to fall off a ladder, prosecutors said.
A backdraft occurs when a sudden burst of air meets unburned fuel, causing flames to momentarily explode.
Warning: Video contains graphic language.
The building was ultimately destroyed and, despite initial plans to rebuild, Coconut Charlie’s never reopened.
An investigation before the site was razed revealed the fire was intentionally set on the west side of the bar, a judge said in court documents. Cameras on the outside of the building, which survived the blaze, recorded “multiple flashes of light” before it went up in flames.
Investigators ultimately found 14 plastic cups filled with gasoline and wicks on the roof and around the outside of the building as well as “one pink gardening glove” that tested positive for gasoline, the judge said.
In the months that followed, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered a $5,000 reward for information about the fire, while the owner of Coconut Charlie’s added a $10,000 reward.
“I’m a true believer in karma and for the cowards who did this to me, my family, my Charlie’s family, and my loyal customers, GOD will punish you!” Coconut Charlie’s wrote on Facebook about three weeks after the fire.
It took two years for investigators to make an arrest in the case.
The pink gardening glove
Prosecutors said Clemons lives about half a mile from Coconut Charlie’s and was seen assaulting his then-girlfriend on the patio a week before the fire was set. A police officer witnessed the assault, and it was also reportedly recorded on the bar’s surveillance system.
Clemons was charged with assault and theft in Anne Arundel County after the incident. Prosecutors said he received the summons on July 27 — one day before Coconut Charlie’s burned down.
The surveillance camera that captured the assault was on the west side of the building, where the fire started, prosecutors said, and the pink gardening glove found at the scene contained Clemons’ DNA. Investigators also saw text messages on his phone expressing concern about what would happen if police obtained the surveillance footage.
A grand jury indicted Clemons on Sept. 11, 2019, court filings show. He was arrested the following day, and a judge ordered he remain in custody, citing in part a “substantial history of victim-related offenses” and the weight of evidence against him.
A superseding indictment charging him with malicious destruction and possession of an unregistered destructive device was filed in February 2020.
Defense attorneys moved to have the case dismissed at least twice, saying the gasoline-filled plastic cups Clemons used to start the fire didn’t qualify as a “destructive device.” They later said the case should be thrown out because of unfair delays caused by the pandemic.
A judge denied both requests, and Clemons pleaded guilty to the the malicious destruction charge in April.
‘I had made some bad choices’
Clemons petitioned the court six times to be released from jail because of the coronavirus pandemic — all of which a judge denied, court documents show.
After his guilty plea, Clemons’ lawyers asked for a five-year prison sentence, saying steroids significantly contributed to his criminal history, including multiple charges of domestic assault.
“Jamie Clemons has been using steroids since the age of 17,” they said. “The frequent use of steroids (actually on a daily basis) explains the number of domestic violence assaults. Combining the steroid abuse with excessive alcohol consumption gives an even sharper picture and better understanding of the numerous assaults and driving violations.”
Attorneys said Clemons started using steroids because he was born prematurely, which Clemons echoed in a letter to the judge on July 6.
In the letter, Clemons apologized for burning down Coconut Charlie’s and said the “inhumane conditions of detention have made me rethink my life.”
“I know that prosecutors have said a lot of ugly stuff about me, this is their duty to do so and I have nothing against them,” Clemons said. “But, I am confident that you would consider that most of the offenses that the government is referring to are simply domestic disputes, alcohol-related offenses, thefts, all non-violent offenses. My addiction to alcohol and steroids was in part responsible for my aggressive behavior.”
“I had made some bad choices and bad judgment in my life,” he continued. “I have learned my lesson and I am willing to pay the debt to society.”
The judge ultimately settled on a nine-year sentence followed by three years of supervised release. Clemons was also ordered to pay $560,346 in restitution.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Boyfriend burns down Maryland bar to hide assault footage, feds say. He blames steroids."
