BROOKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio - The Brookfield man accused of setting off a fireworks blast that damaged the homes of half a dozen neighbors on July Fourth has pleaded “not guilty” to six charges of criminal damaging.

Nineteen-year-old Larz Soos did not appear before a judge in Trumbull County Eastern District Court in person, but a written plea was filed by his attorney on Tuesday.

A police report states that Soos put several kinds of fireworks into a fire pit behind his Budd Street home, causing an explosion that shattered windows and knocked items off the walls of neighboring homes.

Investigators say Soos was recorded on security video buying $400 worth of fireworks days before the explosion.

Soos’ attorney, Jeffrey Goodman, has asked the court for more information about the police investigation into his client and demands a jury trial.