Charles James Perrin, a 25-year-old resident of Evansville, has been sentenced by a Vanderburgh County judge. The sentencing followed Perrin’s guilty plea to felony charges of arson and criminal mischief related to a devastating fire in May that left the Pearl Laundry Center building in ruins, as reported by the Evansville Courier & Press. Perrin was apprehended on May 18 and accused of igniting the fire on the previous day in downtown Evansville, a building that was once known as the “Pearl Steam Laundry. Investigations characterized the fire as a criminal act motivated by “self-gratification.” Perrin allegedly informed officers that he had returned to the scene after setting the fire to “admire his work.” The Pearl Laundry Center, which dates back to 1912 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, closed its laundry business in 2018. Prior to the fire, Pearl Development LLC had plans to renovate the historic brick building into a commercial space in Evansville.
