Former community center employee charged with arson following bathroom fire
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NEWTOWN — A previous Newtown Group Heart employee is experiencing felony prices soon after police say he set fireplace to an exterior bathroom at the heart earlier this 12 months.
George DeWitt Wight Ferris, 26, was arrested and billed with initial-diploma arson and initial-diploma legal mischief Wednesday, subsequent a a few-thirty day period investigation into a February fireplace on the neighborhood center’s Simpson Road residence.
Firefighters and police responded to the centre after team documented a burning odor in the constructing all over 6:20 p.m. Feb. 27.
A construction hearth was verified minutes afterwards, after an staff observed flames and smoke coming from an out of doors men’s rest room on the home. The community heart was evacuated and the fire extinguished with no injuries noted.
Law enforcement explained there was “significant damage” to the restroom, and the fireplace marshal approximated the repair value to be all around $12,000 to $15,000.
Investigators identified that the hearth started off in a wall-mounted garbage — the contents of which were ignited and “proceeded to melt away and light-weight the paper towel dispenser earlier mentioned the rubbish on hearth,” according to the warrant for Ferris’ arrest.
Soon after examining building protection camera footage displaying a person moving into the lavatory prior to the blaze, police stated they considered — dependent on the suspect’s steps and the spot wherever the fireplace originated — the fireplace had been deliberately established.
The footage showed the suspect receiving out of a black Toyota Prius and managing into the restroom all around 5:58 p.m., according to police.
When the suspect exited the restroom a moment later, law enforcement reported “a reflection of the orange glow of flames” could be found on the inside of the door as it shut.
Law enforcement explained the suspect then walked back to the automobile, drove off the assets and parked on Simpson Road with the vehicle experiencing the community heart and its headlamps turned off, “as if to keep track of the predicament and/or the response to the hearth at the setting up.”
Just after about 15 minutes, law enforcement explained the auto backed out of the space and left.
The subsequent day, authorities uncovered that Ferris — a former Newtown Local community Centre employee — matched the suspect’s description and drove a black Toyota Prius.
The director of the neighborhood heart told police Ferris’ final working day of employment was Dec. 31, and that he “never had any behavioral concerns at work, was an outstanding employee and still left on his personal conditions,” in accordance to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Immediately after speaking to the neighborhood heart director, Detective Richard Monckton was alerted to a black Toyota Prius parked alongside Simpson Road in the same place the arson suspect had parked the evening ahead of.
The driver not only matched the suspect’s description, but experienced on a black puffy winter season coat like a single the suspect was noticed donning in the protection digital camera footage, according to Monckton, who mentioned it is “not unusual for arsonists to keep on being somewhere on scene or afterwards return to the scene to observe the fire and/or aftermath.”
When the driver returned to the car and pulled off, Monckton stated he followed the auto to a residence in town, exactly where he later acquired Ferris lived, in accordance to the warrant. The car was also discovered to be registered to Ferris, in accordance to law enforcement.
The up coming day, law enforcement executed research warrants of Ferris’ house, particular person and auto and seized the black puffy winter jacket, together with other garments things and a box of unopened storm-evidence matches.
Monckton reported Ferris “did not appear to be surprised by the accusation or deny involvement” when educated that he was a suspect in the investigation into the Feb. 27 arson incident, and declined to communicate with police about it.
Ferris was arrested on a warrant Wednesday and arraigned in condition Superior Court in Danbury that same working day.
He’s pleaded not responsible to equally charges and continues to be held on $300,000 bond, in accordance to court docket records. His subsequent court day is scheduled for June 1.
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