Swat Team Arrests Five Local Firefighters for Alleged Arson.
This afternoon, Thursday the second of September, numerous unmarked black police vehicles with Massachusetts and Connecticut license plates were seen on Mashapaug Road between the Marina and the Gas station. It was reported to me that the police officers were dressed in Swat Team gear and had several K9 with them. It was also reported to me that the Swat Team Officers poured accelerant onto material and had the K9 sniff it before they went into the brush looking for evidence along the perimeter of Mahapaug Road.
Later in the evening, I was informed that five Firefighters were allegedly arrested by the State Police and were held at the Barracks (Station C5)
in Sturbridge to be arranged in court tomorrow morning.
A serious of arson plagued eastern Hampden County; the first fire was set on June 15 at 144 Paige Hill Road in Brimfield; the second seven days later at 151 Washington Road, also in Brimfield; and the third was on July 13 at Valley Drive here in Holland.
The Holland Blog covered the blaze in the piece, Nightly Blaze on Valley Drive.
To get more information, I drove to the Barracks and arrived there around 22:00 hours. The Parking lot in front of the Barracks was occupied to the last space; people were standing outside making phone calls and talking to each other. At this time of the night, there are usually only two or three cars parked there.
As I was waiting for the officer at the reception, Paul Foster, Fire Chief of the Holland Fire Department (HFD), just left the Barracks. I asked him whether there were any firefighters of the HFD involved. He said, “yes.”
I asked him for the names but he refused to reveal the names and stated that he would be holding a press conference in the morning. I asked him what time and where. Chief Foster said that he would not know yet.
The Trooper on duty refused to reveal any specifics about the arrest, reveal any names, or confirm that the arrested individuals would be arraigned tomorrow morning, Friday the 3rd of September.
As I left the Barracks, parents of one of the arrested men asked the Trooper on duty if they could talk with their son and if their son would be ok.
Later in the evening I obtained the names from one of my informants.
Allegedly arrested for arson were the following individuals:
- Brian Findlay, according to the HFD website a Firefighter for the HFD, and also a Jr. Firefighter Aux. for the BFD according to their website;
- Dylan Lajeunesse, according to the HFD website a Firefighter for the HFD.
- Donald Moores, according to the HFD website a Firefighter for the HFD, and also a Jr. Firefighter Aux. for the BFD according to their website;;
- Patrick Elliot, according to the Brimfield Fire Department (BFD) website a Jr. Firefighter Aux.;
- Jordan Frank, not listed on the website of the (BFD) website but was allegedly appointed recently;
Arson Suspects Back in Court.
The State Police diligently investigated the three fires and after the arrests of the five suspects, the State Police interrogated the five young men.The account by the accused of the alleged crimes are stunning. The five former fire fighters obviously were bored and lacked guidance. Click on the alleged arsonist’s name to read the particular arrest report:
Brian Findlay
Dylan Lajeunesse
Donald Moores
Patrick Elliott
Jordan Frank
I wonder why nobody talks about the two fires that preceded the three fires that destroyed three homes. Talking to John Freeman from Brimfield, I learned that before the three houses were torched, a UPS driver was on his route when he coincidentally observed a car leaving the scene after setting brush along the road on fire...
The UPS driver stopped and extinguished the fire before it could spread. It was also on a Tuesday...
Then there was the forest fire on East Hill Road in Brimfield in April. The smoke was obstructing the view on the nearby Massachusetts Turn Pike.
October 10, 2010, Peter Frei