Photo: Clinton Township Police Department
A Michigan business owner was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a teenager was killed when a building he owned exploded last month.
Noor Noel Kestou, 31, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City after authorities in Clinton Township were notified that he used his passport. Officials said he had purchased a one-way ticket to Hong Kong.
Kestou owned Goo Smoke Shop/Select Distributors Wholesale Warehouse, which authorities said was improperly storing canisters of butane and nitrous oxide, as well as other vaping supplies.
A fire broke out at the warehouse on March 4, causing a massive explosion that sent debris flying a half-mile in all directions. Nineteen-year-old Turner Lee Salter was about a quarter-mile from the blast when he was struck in the head and killed by a nitrous oxide canister.
The fire simmered for a week as fire crews monitored the site for "sporadic explosions, pop-up fires, and continual smoke." Investigators are still trying to determine how the initial fire started.
Authorities said the investigation is continuing, and Kestou could face additional charges. He pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charges and was released after posting a $500,000 cash bond. He was ordered to surrender his passport and will be monitored by GPS.
"I take pride in applauding the work by the Clinton Township police and fire departments," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said. "They had to orchestrate the work of six or seven agencies, and did so masterfully. I commend the work of Police Chief Dina Caringi and the others in charge of this investigation."