SUSPICIOUS FIRE LEADS TO ARRESTS
Kinderhook, NY- Sheriff David P. Bartlett reports that on June 10, 2019 at approximately 10:52 am, Deputy Sheriffs were dispatched by Columbia County 911 to the Kinderhoff Group Home on State Route 203 in the Town of Kinderhook for report of a suspicious shed fire at that location.
The Kinderhook, Valatie, and Niverville Fire Departments initially responded for a report of heavy black smoke coming from a shed type structure. The fire was knocked down quickly by responding agencies before it could cause significant damage to items within the shed.
Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Investigators initiated an investigation and interviewed a 17 year old female and a 15 year old juvenile. It is alleged that both individuals entered the locked structure without consent of the property owner, setting fire to materials inside a crawl space.
The 17 year old female and the 15 year old juvenile were both charged with Burglary in the Third Degree (Class D Felony) and Arson in the Fifth Degree (Class A Misdemeanor). The 17 year old was issued appearance tickets for Kinderhook Town Court on June 25, 2019 at 5:00 pm. The 15 year old was issued juvenile appearance tickets returnable to the Columbia County Probation Department.
In addition to the fire agencies, the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office and the Columbia County Attorney’s Office assisted with this investigation.
Investigating for the Sheriff’s Office were Sergeant Jeffrey Hofstetter, Investigator Ian Boehme, Investigator Reagan Anderson, and Deputy Peter Merante.