On Sept. 24, 2020, Michael Paul Nester, 33, of Hartland Township, was arraigned at the 53rd District Court in Howell on charges of third-degree arson and malicious destruction of property, stemming from the suspicious fire and property damage that occurred on Sept. 8 in Hartland. Nester is being held at the Livingston County Jail and has received a $100,000 cash surety bond for the charges. He was previously being detained for a probation violation as a result of the fire and has a $100,000 cash surety bond set for the probation violation.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office had responded to a structure fire and a report of vandalism in the 11,000 block of Clyde Road in Hartland Township at about 7:30 a.m. Sept. 8, 2020.
Deputies determined that a barn at the location was fully involved, and that a vehicle on scene had fresh damage that was not related to the fire. The property owner also reported that a boat on the property had recently been intentionally damaged.
The incident remains under investigation by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau and the Hartland Area Fire Department.
