ATLANTA (AP) - The man accused of starting a fire that caused the collapse of an Atlanta interstate bridge has been indicted on an arson charge by a grand jury.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr.'s office said in a statement that Friday's indictment charges 39-year-old Basil Eleby with first-degree arson and first degree property damage. Eleby had been arrested on the same charges and jailed on a $200,000 bond.
Howard's office says Eleby faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if he's convicted of the charges.
Authorities say Eleby had talked about smoking crack prior to the fire that broke out last Friday under the Interstate 85 bridge in an area where the state of Georgia stores noncombustible construction materials.
Eleby's attorney, Liz Markowitz, has said her client is being used as a scapegoat.
