Belleville man admits to starting a fire at a Lebanon gas station

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A Belleville man appeared in federal court to admit to an arson charge for setting a fire in a Lebanon gas station bathroom.

Carlos A. Rodriguez, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of arson of real property used in interstate commerce. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.

According to court documents, Rodriguez visited the CC Food Mart in Lebanon, Illinois, on the evening of Sept. 10, 2018. In the men's bathroom, Rodriguez set fire to a plastic air freshener mounted to the wall, exited the room and left the store.

Customer's and employees detected smoke and found an active fire in the bathroom approximately seven minutes after Rodriguez's departure.

The ATF's Fire Research Laboratory later constructed a mock-up of the restroom and conducted multiple experiments to time and assess the spread of such a fire, thereby ruling out other customers who used the restroom that evening.

The fire and necessary firefighting efforts caused approximately $6,000 in damages.

Convictions for arson of real property used in interstate commerce carry a mandatory minimum of five years' and up to 20 years' imprisonment, fines up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

ATF led the investigation with the assistance of the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office and the Lebanon Police Department. The Lebanon Fire Department responded to the incident. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Burke is prosecuting the case.