Molotov cocktail incident in Cottage Grove to get BCA look

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Police are seeking the state’s help in identifying who threw Molotov cocktails at a Cottage Grove townhome, causing a fire that damaged a patio.

Cottage Grove police said they sent two bottle explosives to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for forensic testing following the March 13 incident.

Emergency crews were called to a townhome at 8849 90th St. at about 3 a.m. for possible arson after neighbors reported seeing a woman trying to extinguish a fire on the patio. A wooden patio partition had started on fire, said Cottage Grove police detective Tom Ueland.

Investigators recovered from the scene two gin bottles with cloth wicks sticking out, he said. One bottle was broken.

Ueland said police have a couple of suspects and hope forensics will identify who is responsible.

“If we get lucky … we might get DNA and maybe a print,” he said. “That would be great.”

Tags: crime and courts, updates, crime