Indiana Landmark Destroyed

[Paolo]

Convicted Arsonist Held After Fire Destroys Covered Bridge

Residents Shocked By Loss Of 137-Year-Old Structure

POSTED: 2:59 pm EST April 28, 2005

UPDATED: 6:32 pm EST April 29, 2005

BRIDGETON, Ind. -- Authorities detained a man Thursday shortly after a fire in western Indiana destroyed what is considered to be one of the state's most photographed covered bridges, RTV6's Jack Rinehart (jack_rinehart@theindychannel.com) reported.

http://images.ibsys.com/sh/images/ibs_i ... o.gifVideo: Convicted Arsonist Held After Fire Destroys Covered Bridge (http://www.theindychannel.com/news/4427578/detail.html#)

And Parke County sheriff's investigators are calling that man -- identified only as a 35-year-old Vigo County resident with a previous arson conviction -- a person of interest in an April 2002 fire that destroyed a different covered bridge.

Investigators believe Thursday morning's fire at the 137-year-old Bridgeton bridge -- one of 31 covered bridges in Parke County -- was intentionally set. Firefighters were called to the burning structure shortly after midnight.

The man being detained Thursday was captured in the morning at the site of a different covered bridge -- in Mansfield, about five miles from Bridgeton -- Rinehart reported. He was being held on an alleged probation violation and was named a person of interest in Thursday's Bridgeton fire.

Sources close to the investigation said a witness saw the man at the scene of the Bridgeton fire, Rinehart reported.

Investigators saw evidence suggesting that an accelerant had been poured the length of the Bridgeton bridge, police said.

"At the time that we received (a report of) the fire, we already had an individual in mind, and that's the first person we began looking for," Parke County Sheriff Charles Bollinger said of the man being detained.

The sheriff's department said the man is a person of interest in the April 2002 fire that destroyed the 87-year-old Jeffries Ford covered bridge near Bridgeton.

Bridgeton residents came to Thursday's fire scene to look at the charred remains.

"This morning, it was just like waking up to a member of your family being gone," area resident Jackie Chastain said.

Local resident Ann Harding said the fire was a terrible thing for the county.

"I just wanted to cry," Harding said.

Parke County is the home of the annual Covered Bridge Festival. (http://www.coveredbridges.com/) Many of the county's communities depend on the tourism that the bridges attract, Rinehart reported.

[Paolo]

So, as Jesus mentioned in another post, California used castration to treat a serial arsonist, huh?

I have already sent my request to the Authorities, offering my services to save the State time and money in this case. All I want is 2 minutes alone with this guy. So far, they have yet to reply to me.

[A-1 (imported)]

Paolo,

...hell, don't feel too badly, my friend.

For you,

I offer to hang this creep from the old Bridgeton grist mill and to leave his carcass hanging for the birds to pick at until after this year's Covered Bridge Festival.

I believe that the Liberals will win out though, and my services will not be required.

We may have to even suffer through at least one account of, "...perhaps as a young boy he was raped in a Covered Bridge..."

To which I will respond,

"...hey, I'll bring the ball bat, and you bring the vaseline with the large metal filings in it..."

"There are lots of covered bridges left for this 'VICTIM' to experience 'reality' therapy to 'bring out' his repressed 'memories' and to make him 'well' again..."

a-1