A Kent man has been charged with felony arson on Aug. 27 after allegedly locking himself in the Enumclaw 7-Eleven and setting the building on fire.

According to charging documents, Jerome Thomas Whitmore, 50, entered the 7-Eleven on Aug. 24 around 3 a.m. and barricaded himself in the real employee area; the Enumclaw Police Department reported in a social media post that Whitmore had asked an employee for free gas and food, and then locked himself in the room when his request was denied.

The EPD, assisted by the Black Diamond Police Department, attempted to convince Whitmore to exit, but he refused.

Whitmore allegedly started the fire by tearing the cardboard off a carton of cigarettes and lighting it; he told police he started the fire to “summon police and fire” to the store because he

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