FARMINGTON — A fourth man has been indicted in two house fires on June 27, 2015, in Carthage and Wilton.
A Franklin County grand jury indicted Einer Bonilla, 22, of Grand Island, Neb., on Friday on four counts of felony arson and a felony charge of conspiracy to commit arson.
A conviction on each of the arson charges is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
State fire officials charged Bonilla with a double-wide single-family house fire at 9 Sewall St. in Wilton. It was reported at 2:29 a.m. June 27. According to a state fire investigator’s affidavit, Bonilla and Duane Bailey, 27, of Carver, Mass., Devon J. Pease, 22, of Jay and D’Kota Rowe, 20, of Wilton are accused in that case.
The real target was an apartment building on Main Street that one of the suspects had an “alleged grudge” against someone who lived there, state fire investigator Sgt. Ken Grimes told media previously.
Bonilla, Bailey and Rowe are also accused of going to Carthage to burn down a vacant log-style camp at 471 Winter Hill Road belonging to Gene and Andrea Casey of Mexico.
Both structures were destroyed and both were determined to be arson, state investigator Kenneth G. MacMaster wrote in an affidavit filed with the court.
The four men are also accused in a string of convenience store burglaries in late June 2015 in Jay, New Vineyard and Weld.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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