The Old Pink: Arsonist John Burns Institutionalized

For the time being, the man arrested and charged with setting the intentional fire and burning down the Pink is not going home, but he’s looking at a brief reprieve from jail. 

John W. Burns, who was arrested last month and is facing federal arson charges, will instead be going to an inpatient treatment facility for 28 days to assess and address his physical and mental health issues before a judge determines how to move forward. 

Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder said on Wednesday he will allow prosecutors in the case to use the report produced at the end of Burns’ stay at the undisclosed facility to determine whether he should stay in police custody as the case works its way through court. Schroeder also said Assistant Federal Public Defender Erin Ryan can use the same report in defense of her client and to argue for Burns’ release. 

Until Burns is relocated to the facility, he remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service due to the federal nature of the arson charges. 

During a court proceeding Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Antoine called Burns “a danger to the people of this community.” But Schroeder said he’s trying to find a way to get Burns help, if he needs it, while also protecting residents. 

According to police and reports from other local media outlets, Burns allegedly had a confrontation with a security guard in front of the Pink late on Sunday, June 16, leaving for a short time before coming back and telling the guard he would “burn that b***h down.” A little while later, he allegedly came back and set the fire that destroyed the beloved bar in the early morning hours of June 17. 

If convicted on the federal arson charge, Burns is facing between five and 20 years in prison.