A five-year prison offer for a Derby man accused of torching his Main Street apartment building last March is still pending as court officials await the man’s possible indictment in federal court.
Edward Minerly, 52, faces charges of first-degree arson, first-degree reckless endangerment, and first-degree criminal mischief in connection with the March 22, 2013 blaze at 130 Main St., a two-story building in downtown Derby.
Minerly and his wife were hospitalized after the fire for treatment of smoke inhalation, as was a Derby police officer who responded to the call.
Minerly was arrested last August after a five-month investigation by Derby Police Detective Charles Stankye (now retired), who concluded Minerly set fire to the building because he wanted to move.
At the time of his arrest, Minerly, who has an extensive arrest record and is on the state’s sex offender registry, faced charges in a handful of unrelated cases as well, as well as violation of probation charges related to previous convictions.
In July, State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor offered Minerly a plea deal calling for Minerly to serve five years behind bars.
At the time of the offer, the prosecutor indicated that Minerly faced a federal indictment and was considering his options with respect to a possible plea deal in federal court.
Neither Lawlor nor a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office would comment on the basis for the possible federal charge, but sources say the possible indictment is connected to false brutality complaints Minerly made against Derby police.
Minerly appeared at Superior Court in Milford Oct. 24 on the arson case.
His lawyer, Public Defender Kenneth Bunker, asked Judge Frank Iannotti to continue the case so court officials could figure out what’s going on with Minerly’s federal case.
The judge told Minerly to return to court Friday (Nov. 7).
Lawlor said that in the meantime he’d reach out to federal prosecutors for information on if and when Minerly will be indicted.
