From left: Alexander Grandstaff, Shawn Dedrick, Gregory Mitchell, Joseph Parkhurst.SCOTIA, N.Y. - Police in Scotia say four men have been arrested for arson in connection to several incidents which occurred in June 2010.
Police say the four men are accused of using Molotov cocktails to set fire to a vehicle and 2 residences, and attempted to do the same to the occupied home of the then-Police Chief Tom Rush.
"Incendiary device like a Molotov cocktail at an
occupied home when people are inside, you could very easily kill then
all," said Schenectady County DA Robert Carney.
Scotia police and the Schenectady County District Attorney announced 20-year-old Shawn Dedrick, 21-year-old Alexander Grandstaff, 21-year-old Gregory Mitchell, and 21-year-old Joseph Parkhurst are facing multiple arson charges which could come with a lifetime sentence. Authorities say Rush was targeted because of patrol tactics being used by police that the men did not like.
"If the chief of police, the head of the agency is
targeted then no one else, other police officers, the public, no one is
safe," said Scotia Chief of Police Pete Frisoni.
The arrests are the result of an investigation by the Scotia Police Department, New York State Police and State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
"There are going to be other crimes that have
happened in The Village of Scotia over the last few years that are going to be
solved because of this particular investigation," said Frisoni.
All four are currently in Schenectady County Jail without bail.
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