Fire captain charged with burning house

Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 10:31 pm

BENNINGTON -- A captain in the Bennington Fire Department was arrested Tuesday for twice setting his own home on fire in the last week.

Police said Capt. Ralph Brown, 41, a resident of 217 Maple St., set fire to the home on Friday morning, then again on Saturday night. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon by the Bennington Police Department and charged with two felony counts of first-degree arson, and two felony counts of burning to defraud an insurer, according to Bennington Police Chief Richard Gauthier.

"The nature of the fire was suspicious to begin with," Gauthier said. "The second burn, particularly, one of the firemen thought there was a use of an accelerant."

Bail was set at $10,000 Tuesday by Judge David Suntag. Police said they expected Brown to remain jailed at the Bennington Police station until his arraignment at the Bennington District Court today.

The arson charges carry prison terms of up to 10 years and $2,000 in fines each, while the fraud charges each carry a prison term of up to five years with a $500 fine.

Brown is cooperating with investigators, Gauthier said. "He's admitting what happened and he's telling the investigators how he did it," Gauthier said.

Brown was allegedly motivated by "financial reasons," police said, but said no further information would be released before Brown is arraigned in Bennington District Court today. "They were trying to generate enough money for a project they were trying to do," Gauthier said, but declined to elaborate on the project.

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Police are investigating whether more people are involved with the two fires.

According to Gauthier, Brown set the second fire after an insurance adjuster offered $40,000 to cover damages caused by the first fire. "My understanding is that the first fire didn't do enough damage. In other words, the house could be repaired," Gauthier said.

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Bennington Police Detective Sgt. David S. Rowland said police believe the first fire was started by deliberately crossed wires in the basement that caused them to spark, heat up, and eventually ignite the home. Electricity to the home was shut off after the first fire.

The second fire appears to have been set with a small propane torch, according to Rowland. He said it appeared attempts were made in several locations to start a fire on the second floor.

Vermont State Police fire investigators are collecting physical evidence at the home, Rowland said. Local police arrested Brown after a group of people, including Brown, were interviewed several times by police. Rowland said suspicions were heightened when their stories did not "add up."

Gauthier, who also serves as the town's public safety director, which oversees the fire department, said he has recommended to Bennington Fire Chief Tyler Hollister that Brown be "terminated" from the department.

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Hollister said Brown's charges result in an "automatic dismissal" if he is convicted, according to the bylaws. He faces suspension until the investigation is complete, Hollister said.

Department officials are taking the incident "real seriously," Hollister said. "This is nothing to brush off. I can assure you that this is going to be dealt with properly and swiftly," he said. "We'll move forward, that's for sure."

Hollister said most of the department's members were not yet aware Wednesday evening of the charges, but would be informed at a department meeting today. Hollister, however, said he felt personally slighted by Brown.

"I feel kind of betrayed a little bit," Hollister said. "He put guys at risk that he knew. That's the biggest thing that I'm worried about at this point."

The home is still standing, although there is considerable damage caused by the second fire. Seven people, including Brown, were displaced by the fires. They have been receiving help from the American Red Cross, which had placed them in hotels in town Saturday night.

Contact Neal P. Goswami at ngoswami@benningtonbanner.com