Cunningham said the men, who recently moved to the city from Miamisburg, stole a flare gun and shot it into the window of the garage in the 1200 block of Woodside Boulevard on July 5. The fire has been ruled as incendiary.
“There arrests were made after excellent work by the Middletown Arson Task Force,” Cunningham said.
That task force is made up of firefighters and police officers.
Skief and Hudgel were arraigned Monday in Middletown Municipal Court where Judge Melynda Cook-Howard set bond for Skief at $385,000 and for Hudgel at $400,000. Both are scheduled to be back in court for a pre-trial hearing on July 17.
MORE: ‘One loud boom’ and then garage gone, eyewitness says
Flames and heavy smoke began shooting out of the detached garage at about 3:10 p.m. sending a dark plume of smoke into the sky. The garage and contents of furniture and clothing were gone in a matter of minutes.
Cunningham said there was a previous case involving the resident where the garage was destroyed and the two men who were arrested.
“That’s why they are charged with intimidation,” he said.
MORE: Middletown seeks federal grant to hire more police officers
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