Fort Covington Man Arrested For Fire
BOMBAY - Malone-based state police charged a Fort Covington man Wednesday with setting at least one fire in the Bombay area.
Ricky L. Fuller, 55, was charged with third-degree arson in connection with the Aug. 24 fire that destroyed a garage and damaged a home at the residence of Whitney McDermut on Cold Springs Road in Bombay.
Fuller was arraigned in Malone Town Court and remanded to the Franklin County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.
State police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Senior Investigator Charles E. Bishop said police are not connecting Fuller with six other suspected arsons in the Bombay area. He said the investigation into those fires is on-going.
Franklin County District Attorney Derek P. Champagne was not available for comment Wednesday afternoon.
On Aug. 24, firefighters were dispatched to 463 Cold Springs Road for a structure fire at a home and attached garage owned by Mr. McDermut.
At the time, Bombay Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tony Leduc said the garage and its contents were destroyed, while the home sustained moderate damage.
Bombay firefighters were aided at the scene by equipment and volunteers from Dickinson, Fort Covington, Hogansburg/Akwesasne, Moira, Westville and Helena.
Mr. McDermut's property abuts a Cotter Road property owned by John Hourihan, whose mobile home was razed by fire on Aug. 15., one of a total of seven suspected arsons that occurred in a six-week span.
Two other adjoining properties, three miles away from the Hourihan residence, were also ignited in four separate incidents.
On July 13, a barn at 213 county Route 2, known as the Bishop farm, was lightly damaged by fire. That barn was destroyed by another fire on July 22.
On Aug. 7, the home at the Bishop farm was damaged by a fire. While fighting that fire, firefighters were dispatched to the property next door, the old Smith farm, where a garage attached to the residence had been ignited.
The two properties, less than half a mile apart, are currently owned by the Laughing Family Trust. Neither property was occupied at the time of the fires.
On Aug. 18, firefighters returned to the Bishop farm, when the home was destroyed by an early morning blaze.
