For More Information Contact:
Lieutenant Shawn Castano, 845-486-3800
Dover Plains, NY – The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of Charles A. Keenan, age 48 of Dover Plains, NY, for arson in connection with the investigation of a structure fire that occurred recently in the Town of Dover.
Sheriff Kirk A. Imperati said, “This arrest is the culmination of strong teamwork between the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division, New York State Police and the Dover Fire Department. The alleged actions of this defendant not only endangered the lives of the residents in the apartment building but also the lives of the firefighters who responded and extinguished this fire. We will not tolerate lives or property to be threatened by the crime of arson and we will continue to work diligently with the fire departments, the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division and the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute these acts to the fullest extent of the law.”
On January 13, 2022 at approximately 8:50pm, J. H. Ketcham Hose Company responded to a reported structure fire on Brady Lane in the Town of Dover. The second alarm fire brought mutual aid to the scene from the Amenia, Wassaic, Union Vale, Pawling, and Gaylordsville, CT fire departments and the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response. The Amenia, Union Vale, and Sharon, CT fire departments also provided coverage while units operated at the fire scene.
The Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau, the Sheriff’s Office Fire & Arson Investigation Unit and the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division investigated this fire with the assistance of the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office. The Westchester County Department of Public Safety and the New York State Police assisted at the fire scene.
Mr. Keenan has been charged with one count of Arson in the Second Degree, a class B felony. After being processed, Keenan was arraigned in Town of Dover Justice Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail without bail until his next court appearance.
The investigation is continuing and anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Detective Pete Gerardi at 845-486-3835. The Sheriff’s Office can also be contacted via the tip line at 845-605-2583 or dcsotips@gmail.com, and all information will be kept confidential.
As with any criminal case, the charge described above is merely an accusation and Mr. Keenan is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
