New Bedford man charged in connection to Hawthorne Country Club fire
DARTMOUTH — A New Bedford man faces a charge of burning a building for allegedly setting the fire at the Hawthorne Country Club in Dartmouth last May.
Shawn Medeiros, 31, of New Bedford, was indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury related to the May 7 fire at the vacant Hawthorne Country Club on Tucker Road, according to a press release from the Bristol County District Attorney's office.
In a press release from the Department of Fire Services, officials said Medeiros was arrested Thursday morning by members of the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office and the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section.
Medeiros was arraigned Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court on one count of burning a building.
Dartmouth blaze: Fire at former Hawthorne Country Club under investigation
The fire — deemed suspicious in the days that followed — left the club house building a total loss, according to the Department of Fire Services release. It first reported at about 1:30 p.m. that afternoon and took about two hours to extinguish.
According to the DA's office, at the time of the fire, the Hawthorne Country Club had no running water, electricity or other utilities, which could have caused the fire. The degree of the fire was also suspicious.
"The State Fire Marshall's Office determined that the fire was deliberately set inside of the building with multiple areas of origin meaning the fire was set in several different areas. A state police K-9 was also brought to the scene and alerted to the presence of accelerants," the DA's office states.
As part of an independent insurance investigation, samples from the debris were sent to a laboratory for analysis and testing confirmed accelerants were used to set the fire.
MSP troopers assigned to the Fire Marshall's Office launched an arson probe, questioning several witnesses, including Medeiros, who confirmed he was present at the scene on the morning of the fire.
According to the DA release, Medeiros told investigators he was working at the Hawthorne Country Club transporting tables and chairs from the country club to building in New Bedford.
State troopers secured surveillance video from the area as part of their investigation.
Housing proposal in the works: 'The Codfather' connection has led to headaches at Hawthorne Country Club, realtor claims
After his arraignment, Medeiros was released on the condition that he stay away from the Hawthorne Country Club and that he report to the probation department at least one time per week, according to officials.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford man faces charge in fire at former Dartmouth country club
