New Orleans man accused of using Molotov cocktail on Tesla building faces new federal charges

A New Orleans man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla depot on Tchoupitoulas Street was rearrested on new federal charges after bonding out last week.

A federal complaint unsealed Monday in the New Orleans-based U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana accuses the man, John Hinkhouse, of one count of arson of property used in interstate commerce.

Hinkhouse was arrested and booked last week into the Orleans Justice Center on state counts. He was released on house arrest and a $25,000 bond, but appeared again in shackles Monday in federal court on Poydras Street for an initial hearing on the additional federal count.

Magistrate Judge Donna Phillips Currault ordered Hinkhouse remanded to the U.S. Marshals’ custody pending a detention hearing, which she set for Wednesday.

It was unclear whether Hinkhouse would still face state charges after the new federal complaint. Spokespeople for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to inquiries.

Read more: NOLA.com