SUFFOLK, Va. — Authorities dismissed the charges against a man who was suspected of setting fire to the Suffolk Tower Apartments in July 2021.
Herbert Boothe was facing felony charges of arson of an occupied dwelling, assault on a law enforcement officer and one misdemeanor charge of attempted sexual battery.
All of those charges were dismissed in court on Monday, according to the court system's website.
The fire at the apartment complex on July 13, 2021 temporarily displaced more than 30 people who were living there and sent a few people to the hospital.
That day, Boothe had to be rescued from the fire and was one of the people taken to the hospital.
Police officers were waiting for Boothe to physically recover before arresting him, but said he racked up more charges while he was in the hospital by spitting in an officer's face and scratching the arms and chest of a nurse.
In an August 2021 hearing, a judge ordered that Boothe be given a mental evaluation, to see if he was fit to stand trial.
It's not clear what caused the court to dismiss charges against Boothe. 13News Now has reached out for more information about the decision.