MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Charges have been filed on May 15 against 40-year-old Jarriel Cotton after he allegedly set fire to an upholstered chair on the third floor of the downtown Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) campus building. 

Law enforcement states that on May 13 around 6:11 a.m. video footage captured Cotton entering the front doors of the downtown MATC building and walks up to the third floor. 

Shortly before 7:00 a.m. he was observed walking into a common seating area and using a lighter to ignite a cloth and wood structured chair. He then walked away and exited the building. 

Video shows the chair becoming engulfed in flames before the fire alarm and sprinkler system activated. A Senior Electronics Specialist for MATC was working down the hall and came in with a fire extinguisher and attempted to control the flames. 

Cotton has a prior arson conviction from a 2015 incident. 

If convicted of the alleged arson Cotton faces a minimum of five years' (up to life) imprisonment. He may also be fined up to $250,000.