CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A man from Iron County, Missouri, is accused of starting fires in the Mark Twain National Forest and threatening a federal officer.

On Dec. 6, federal prosecutors charged Lucas Henson with arson, assault of a law enforcement officer, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court last week.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Henson set three fires in Wayne and Butler counties on Oct. 23, damaging between seven and acres of the forest. That same day, he allegedly pointed a crossbow at a Forest Service officer.

Henson is also facing local charges in New Madrid Circuit Court in connection with this incident, including robbery, stealing a motor vehicle, and resisting arrest.