Mineola man on parole accused of creating makeshift lab in apartment, starting fire
Authorities say 34-year-old Nolan Gaugler, who is out on parole after serving years in prison for robbery in the first degree, was mixing chemicals at his Mineola apartment when the experiment went wrong and ignited a fire.
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A Mineola man who is out on parole is accused of creating a makeshift lab in his apartment and starting a fire, according to officials.
Nolan Gaugler allegedly had a slew of materials in his Lincoln Avenue apartment, authorities say, including flammable liquids, flammable solids, acids, bases and some poisonous materials.
He was allegedly conducting a chemistry experiment when "the mixture reacted violently," according to court documents. That's when Gaugler allegedly took the mixture, which was in a glass beaker, and threw it into the shared hallway of his apartment building.
This led to a fire that damaged the hallway flooring and wall, according to court documents.
Gaugler is on parole after serving prison time for his role in a 2011 deadly robbery. As News 12 has reported, he pleaded guilty years ago to robbery in the first degree in exchange for a 16-year sentence.
At Monday's arraignment connected to the recent incident, Gaugler pleaded not guilty to three charges - criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and arson.
When asked by a News 12 reporter what happened, he said, "I can't tell you what happened."
