Traverse City teen faces arson, assault charges after Blair Township fire

A Traverse City teenager was jailed on a $200,000 cash or surety bond after police say a Blair Township home fire and roadside assault escalated into a felony case that drew Michigan State Police to M-37 near Vance Road. The bond level signals how seriously the court is treating allegations that combined fire, alleged violence and a break-in at a township home.

Investigators say Hayden Hul, 18, was first seen on surveillance footage stealing an outdoor security camera from a home on Conetree Trail in Blair Township. The homeowners received an alert from their security system, returned to the property and later confronted Hul on the road. Police say Hul then assaulted the homeowners before being subdued and taken into custody.

Michigan State Police responded to the area around 3 p.m. on Friday, June 19, after getting a report of an assault in progress. Hul was jailed at the Grand Traverse County Jail before his arraignment in Grand Traverse County’s 86th District Court on June 21, where he faced charges including second-degree arson and second-degree home invasion.

State police said additional charges may still be authorized after prosecutor review, leaving open the possibility that the case could expand as investigators and prosecutors sort through the evidence. In Grand Traverse County, that review falls to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office before any added charges move forward in district or circuit court.

The allegations carry steep potential penalties under Michigan law. Second-degree arson applies when someone willfully or maliciously burns, damages or destroys a dwelling by fire or explosive, whether it is occupied, unoccupied or vacant. It is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000, or three times the value of the property damaged or destroyed, whichever is greater. Second-degree home invasion is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.

For Blair Township residents, the case underscores how quickly a domestic or interpersonal confrontation can become a public-safety emergency. A home fire can force families out of their house, threaten neighboring properties and pull firefighters and troopers into the same scene as an assault investigation. In this case, what began as a report of an assault on a township road became a major criminal case tied to arson, home invasion and a high bond set by the court.