Checkerboard Pizza owner pleads guilty to felony negligent fire

An owner accused of intentionally setting his bar and pizza shop on fire has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Documents from Ramsey County Court show Tou Mo Cha, 56, has pled guilty to felony negligent fire, which carries up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

In exchange for pleading guilty, Cha will have another charge placed against him dismissed during sentencing.

Cha was arrested on August 8, 2023, after his business, Eastside Checkerboard Pizza in St. Paul, and a separate business, 52 Market & Trading, were found to have been set on fire.

While no one was injured in either fire, it reportedly caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to both businesses.

Authorities felt the fire was suspicious and began investigating it. Later, they determined that both fires had potentially been started intentionally.

Cha was reportedly seen on camera entering an apartment above Checkerboard Pizza multiple times before he was seen leaving an entryway between Checkerboard Pizza and the apartment where the fire started.

A sentencing date has not been set.