Jury trial set for teen accused in Poplar Bluff burning incident

A Poplar Bluff teen accused in a burning incident last summer will go to trial this June.

A judge ruled in August that 17-year-old Billy Rasberry should be certified for felony assault. He allegedly squirted gasoline on another teen and lit him on fire June 13, causing burns to 15-year-old Walter Currie's body. The two were in an ongoing dispute when they confronted each other at a city intersection that night.

After a month-long investigation, Butler County Prosecutor Kevin Barbour filed the charge of Class A felony assault and armed criminal action. Judge Robert Smith Tuesday set a jury trial for June 30 and July 1 in Poplar Bluff.