Jerry L. Pierson, 36, was accused of stealing merchandise from the Highland Meijer on Jan. 10 after his co-defendant lit several small fires as a diversion.
The defendant endangered multiple people and viciously fought East Chicago officers, who were trying to prevent him from burning himself alive in a barricaded room, the judge wrote.
The man admitted in a plea agreement he intentionally set a fire in a fingerprint room and used a Taser prong he removed from his shoulder to stab an officer
The state could no longer prosecute the case because it was unable to locate the alleged victim and "the only identifiable witness" died, court records state.
David C. Cotto, 27, is accused of murdering Andrew Lukacek outside a Gary bar. Felicia A. Nelson, 32, is accused of helping Cotto evade arrest and later offering a bribe