Man charged in Cary burglaries, arson

A man has been charged in the burglaries of two homes in the same neighborhood in Cary and setting fire to one of the houses, according to arrest warrants.

Posted 2:04 p.m. Apr 10, 2010 — Updated 7:59 p.m. Apr 10, 2010

CARY, N.C. — A man has been charged in the burglaries of two homes in the same Cary neighborhood and with setting fire to one of the houses, according to arrest warrants.

Michael Joseph Malafronte, 28, faces one count of arson and two counts of first-degree burglary. He was being held in the Wake County jail Saturday under a $1 million bond.

Police said they arrested Malafronte after catching him running away from a break-in in progress at 111 Gwinnett Place shortly before midnight Thursday. He also started a fire in a crawl space of the house, but police managed to put it out before firefighters arrived.

A couple and their two children were home at the time, but no one was hurt. The house did not sustain any structural damage, police said.

Malafronte was also charged with breaking into a home at 100 Royce Drive to commit larceny on March 26, warrants say. A couple and their child were at home during the break-in.

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