Evicted Tenant Admits to Setting Fire Above Shick’s

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published March 3, 2021 6:07 pm
Image

CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — A former tenant who was evicted from an apartment building in Clarion Borough is currently behind bars after admitting to setting fire to the building on Tuesday.

(Photos by Dave Cyphert of ProPoint Media Photography.)

Court documents indicate 32-year-old Randy A. Divelbiss, of Clarion, was arraigned on criminal charges in front of Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller at 11:40 p.m. on March 2.

The charges stem from a fire that occurred in Clarion Borough on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a criminal complaint, around 3:07 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, Clarion Borough Police were dispatched to South 8th Avenue for a report of a structure fire.

Officer Kemmer arrived at the scene and immediately saw smoke coming from the door of Apartment 2, an upstairs apartment in the building. Officers Kemmer and Zerfoss then cleared the other apartments of the building to make certain no one was inside, the complaint notes.

When they entered the apartment the smoke was coming from, they found no one home. They found the smoke was coming from a hallway in the apartment, according to the complaint.

While clearing the other apartments, they only found one person at home, and it was the resident of another of the upstairs apartments, who had seen the fire and called 9-1-1, the complaint states.

Once Clarion Fire & Hose Company No. 1 arrived at the scene, police interviewed the resident/witness who had called 9-1-1.

The witness said he was in his apartment and heard a beeping coming from the hallway, then opened his front door, saw the smoke, and heard the fire alarm. He then walked into the hallway and saw a fire in the hallway, so he ran down the rear stairs and into the store on the first floor where there was a fire extinguisher. He grabbed the extinguisher, went back upstairs, and attempted to put out the fire. After the attempt, he then called 9-1-1, the complaint indicates.

The officers then spoke to Chief Doug Preston, of Clarion Fire & Hose Company No. 1, who reported that he had located the source of the fire and said it was a lit sterno (jellied, denatured alcohol sold in a can and meant to be burned directly in its can, often used for buffet heating and fondue) that was placed at the top step of the hallway, which then caught the step, carpet, and wall on fire, according to the complaint.

Image from iOS (8)

“It was obvious this fire was set intentionally,” according to the complaint.

Police obtained photos of the scene, along with the sterno can, as evidence.

Chief Bill Peck, of the Clarion Borough Police, then arrived at the scene and went to the University Korner gas station to attempt to view any video footage of the area.

According to the complaint, as Chief Peck was leaving the University Korner, he was stopped by an individual in the parking lot who is known by the Clarion Borough Police. The individual asked about the fire, noted they knew a past renter, Randy A Divelbiss, and went on to report Divelbiss had made statements on prior occasions that he was going to burn the apartment building down.

Chief Peck was aware Divelbiss had previously resided in the building and had previous issues with the landlord, the complaint indicates.

The known individual also told police that Divelbiss had been staying in his car and had been seen with cooking equipment. Chief Peck then described a sterno, and the individual said they had seen Divelbiss with sternos.

Police were also able to obtain a description of the vehicle Divelbiss was operating, a brown two-door older Chevrolet Cavalier, and began to search the borough for the vehicle.

The vehicle was then spotted in the parking lot of the 800 Center, about a half-block from the scene of the fire. A search of the registration found it was registered to Divelbiss, the complaint notes.

The vehicle then left the lot and traveled west on Liberty Street, turned left onto North 6th Avenue, and right onto Madison Avenue. Police initiated a traffic stop just after it crossed 5th Avenue. The vehicle then turned left onto Jefferson Place, traveling the wrong way on a one-way street.

When told why he was being stopped, Divelbiss reportedly said that he didn’t know anything about a fire. He was then asked if he had any sternos in his car, and replied “no.” He then provided police with his consent to search the vehicle, according to the complaint.

While officers searched the vehicle, Chief Peck spoke to Divelbiss, asking if he was in the area of the apartment building during the day. Divelbiss reportedly said he was at Wendy’s parking lot around 12:30, when he got something to eat, used the bathroom, and used the WiFi there, the complaint states.

Chief Peck noted an odor of alcohol while speaking to Divelbiss. When Divelbiss was asked if he was consuming alcohol, he said “no,” but officers then noted his pupils also looked dilated. He then submitted to a preliminary breath test (PBT), which tested at .21 percent. He was then placed under arrest for DUI and transported to Clarion Hospital for a blood test, according to the complaint.

After he was transported back to the Clarion Borough Police Department and informed about the steps that were being taken to investigate the fire, Chief Peck asked Divelbiss again about the fire, Divelbiss reportedly stated, “okay, I did it,” the complaint states.

During a further interview, Divelbiss told police he purchased a sterno at Walmart earlier in the day, then went to Wendy’s because of its proximity to the apartment building. He stated he was upset with the landlord for evicting him, and said he had been living in his car ever since, according to the complaint.

Divelbiss said he exited his car at the Wendy’s parking lot, walked over to the apartment building, and entered the back door to the stairs to the second floor. He said that he then lit the sterno and set it on one of the lower steps near the door, then moved it to the top of the steps and set it on the next to the top step and walked away. He then left the building and returned to his car, the complaint states.

The complaint notes that during the interview, Divelbiss also told police that he purchased a two-pack of the sternos, and the other one from the pack was still in his vehicle.

Divelbiss faces the following charges:

– Aggravated Arson — Bodily Injury, Felony 1
– Risking Catastrophe, Felony 3
– Criminal Mischief/Damage Property Intent, Reckless, Or Negligent, Felony 3
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– DUI: General Impairment/Incapable of Driving Safely — 1st Offense, Misdemeanor
– Drive Wrong Way, Summary

Unable to post $100,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.

Clarion Borough Police Chief Bill Peck told exploreClarion.com, “The first kudos goes to the fire department for getting in there and preventing a tragedy. Their response was as usual quick, which definitely favored the police department because it preserved the evidence we need to prosecute this case.

“They prevented more damage, saved the evidence, and quite possibly saved someone’s life in the process.”

Chief Peck also noted that the cause of the fire was discovered early in the investigation.

“From the beginning, once the fire department was able to stabilize things and we were able to look at the scene, it was quite obvious to me that this was an act of arson.”

Once it was established that the fire was set intentionally, Chief Peck said the investigation moved along quickly not only due to the tip from the nearby individual, but also due to the officers knowledge of the situation between Divelbiss and the landlord.

“We suspected it was possibly an old tenant that was disgruntled, and set out to locate him. Then, we found his car nearby a couple of hours later. We knew there were issues between the former tenant and the property owner. That led us in his direction, and it turned out we were correct.”

A preliminary hearing for the case is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on March 9, with Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn presiding.

RELATED:

Fire Above Shick’s in Clarion Borough Remains Under Investigation

Firefighters Respond to Fire Above Shick’s in Clarion Borough

Recent Articles

Community Partner