East Prairie man arrested on arson charges in Anniston

ANNISTON, Mo. -- An East Prairie man is facing arson charges for a fire in Anniston.

Mississippi County Sheriff's Department deputies responded Thursday to a call to the Missouri Department of Family Services regarding a home in Anniston, according to Sheriff Keith Moore.

"As deputies attempted to make contact with the residents, the officers were able to hear a whistling sound followed by a loud pop," Moore said in a news release. He said black smoke immediately began billowing out a rear window of the home.

Following an investigation, Benjamin Corey Wallace, 30, was arrested on charges of first-degree arson and three counts of child endangerment.

Moore said the cause of the fire remains under investigation but may be a result of methamphetamine production.

Wallace was being held at the Mississippi County Detention Center with $250,000 bond.

Pertinent address:

Anniston, Mo.