Lyndell “Lynn” Price, the former owner of The Turkey Leg Hut and current owner of The Oyster Hut, has been indicted on three federal offenses.
Lynn Price, 42, was in tears when he was pulled over and arrested Thursday after leaving his girlfriend’s residence, according to a source familiar with the matter.
He is currently in federal custody and will remain there until his detention hearing, which is scheduled for next Thursday at 10 a.m.
Armani Williams, 27, and John Lee Price, 39, both from Houston, are also being held in custody.
The three-count indictment, issued on April 8 in the Southern District of Texas, says that Lynn Price and others conspired to set fire to Bar 5015 in June 2020.
The indictments state that the bar’s owner was a previous co-owner of the Turkey Leg Hut and Lynn Price’s business partner.
Lynn Price allegedly gathered a group on June 12, 2020, that included Williams, John Price, and others.
The allegations say that Williams, John Price, and others poured gasoline at the entry ramp before starting a fire at Bar 5015 on June 12, 2020. According to the indictment, Lynn Price and his co-conspirator agreed to compensate the team that started the fire.
William and an unknown co-conspirator went to a Houston truck stop early that morning to buy fuel, gas cans, and face coverings.
The accusation states that Williams drove to and parked near the bar in a black Ford Fusion. They entered the deck area and spilled gasoline all over the deck and down the entrance ramp.
Then, at 4:44 a.m., Williams and an unnamed co-conspirator lit a piece of paper, which ignited the gasoline path. By 4:47 a.m., Lynn Price received a phone call informing him that the arson had been completed.
Prior to the arson, the indictment states that in April 2020, Lynn Price bribed John Price and others to set fire to a stolen blue 1975 Chevy Nova.
Lynn Price and the others have been charged with conspiracy to commit arson and arson, and they face up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential fine of $250,000.
Lynn Price and John Price are also charged with conspiracy to utilize an interstate facility to commit vehicular arson, and if convicted, they may face an additional five years in prison.
Defense attorney addresses charges
This Article Includes
Following his initial arraignment, the defense representative for John Lee Price, Letitia Quinones-Hollins, addressed the charges.
Despite having the same surname, John Lee Price and Lyndell Leroy Price are not related, according to Quinones-Hollins.
Armani Williams and John Lee Price were freed on bail.
On June 12, 2020, at 4:48 a.m., the Houston Fire Department responded to an explosion at Bar 5015, located at 5015 Almeda Road near the Museum District.
What happened in Bar 5015 explosion
When the firefighters arrived, they found a debris field and many small fires. Firefighters reported that the fires were extinguished in five minutes.
Splintered wood and other debris littered the street and block near the pub. Police also reported that someone torched a food truck nearby.
Some nearby structures and homes were also damaged.
On June 18, 2020, CCTV video was revealed to the public, showing four individuals entering into Bar 5015 with 5-gallon canisters of ignitable fluid and pouring it throughout the property.
One of the men provoked the explosion by dragging a burning trailer down a ramp where fumes had gathered, causing the deck to erupt.
