Police Chief: Not Enough Evidence For Playground Fire Arrest

By Andrew Gorosko

Police have spent much time and effort investigating the intentionally set nighttime fire which destroyed a new tots’ playground at Treadwell Park last October, but have yet to develop enough firm evidence to file charges against the person or persons who burned down the structure, causing $15,000 in damage.

Last January, Police Chief Michael Kehoe had expressed hope that an arrest or arrests would be made in the case, indicating that leads in the case had grown promising.

But this week, Chief Kehoe said police lack sufficient information to seek an arrest warrant.

The set fire startled many local residents and resulted in a flood of contributions, exceeding the amount needed to rebuild the destroyed structure. Volunteers have rebuilt the playground in a more elaborate form than the original structure. The new $19,000 facility is designed for children ages 2 through 5, and includes equipment designed for handicapped children.

The Adventure Quest playground was consumed by a set fire about 10 pm last October 25 in a foggy Treadwell Park. The fire burned for an hour or more before exhausting its fuel supply. The fire’s temperature exceeded 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the melting point of aluminum.

Parks and recreation workers discovered the charred, molten remains of the playground about 7:30 am the following day. No one reported the fire while it was underway. It occurred in an isolated area of the park, not in plain sight from Philo Curtis Road. The gate to the park, at the driveway entrance at Philo Curtis Road, had been inadvertently left open on the night of October 25-26.

Just several days before the fire, volunteers had installed the aluminum, steel, and plastic playground, which was nearly complete.

Chief Kehoe declined to say how many people police think were involved in setting the playground ablaze. Some of the information which police have developed in the case is conflicting information, he said.

“We developed a lot of information in the investigation. But we need that last straw to get over the hump,” he said. 

 “I think we have a clear understanding of who we think may have done this,” he said.

But police do not have sufficient firm information to establish “probable cause” and seek a warrant or warrants in the case, he added.

But he held out the possibility that new information could arise. “Certainly, we like to solve these cases,” he said.

Police make routine security checks at the park on Philo Curtis Road to prevent such an incident from occurring again, Chief Kehoe said. The park also is monitored with video surveillance equipment. It was that recorded video surveillance which police had hoped would lead them to an arrest in the case.

Detective Sergeant Henry Stormer has supervised the police investigation of the playground fire. Sgt Stormer is a deputy fire marshal and specialist in investigating suspicious fires.

“We have suspects. We have very good suspects. We’re awaiting evidence analysis,” Sgt Stormer said, holding out the possibility that police may eventually make an arrest or arrests in the case.

Solving such crimes is considered difficult because evidence central to the crime is often consumed in the fire. Unless there is a witness to the crime, or someone admits to having set the fire, or someone who knows who set the fire comes forward, it can be very difficult to solve such a case.

The Connecticut arson tip award program offers a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest or conviction in an arson fire. The toll-free telephone number is 800-84 ARSON.

In such investigations, after developing sufficient evidence to seek a warrant, police present their findings to a prosecutor and then to a judge. If the judge decides there is enough evidence to file criminal charges, he or she signs an arrest warrant, which is then served on the accused person or persons, who are then arraigned in court on the charges.

The new playground, which replaced the destroyed structure, is a popular facility at the park, with many tots using it during the summer. The playground project is a joint effort of the private Treadwell Park Committee and the Newtown Lions Club.