A Gaines man is in Potter County Jail for allegedly setting fire to a seasonal cabin in Stewardson Township sometime between Sept. 27 and Oct. 4.
Joshua David Blass, 30, of 27 Apple Lane, is charged with arson with intent to destroy an unoccupied building and burglary, both second-degree felonies; criminal mischief, a third-degree felony; and theft, a third-degree misdemeanor.
According to court records, a worker with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources contacted Coudersport-based state police on Oct. 5 to report a seasonal cabin located at 976 Robinson Road had burned to the ground sometime between Sept. 27 and Oct. 4. He told police there had been no fire department response.
On Oct. 9, fire marshal Cpl. Nicholas Loffredo examined the scene. He noted there was no electricity to the structure, and there was nothing left standing. He noted a nearby shed had been broken into. He contacted the shed’s owner, Frank Bosek of Galeton, who said he had been to the camp after the fire and noticed a five-gallon gas can was missing, court records stated.
Bosek contacted police again and said he had heard that Blass was involved in the fire. On Oct. 15, Galeton Police Chief Christopher Brackman contacted the fire marshal and said he had received information that Blass had set the fire at the cabin, the records stated.
Loffredo and Cpl. Matthew Sweet went to Blass’s home on Oct. 30 and told him people were mentioning his name in connection to the fire. Blass responded, “I did it,” the records allege.
He confessed to police that he had broken into the shed, taken the gas can and set the cabin on fire, taking the gas can with him from the scene, the records stated.
Blass was arraigned Tuesday before District Judge Annette Easton and remanded to jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 9 before District Judge Christopher Kalacinski in Galeton.
