With help from the Schenectady Police Department, the Cobleskill Police Department Monday arrested a 51-year-old homeless man, charging him with arson in the July 19 Wal-Mart fire.
Michael D. Deyo was charged with:
--Arson in the second degree, a Class B felony.
--Criminal mischief in the second degree, a Class D felony.
--Obstructing firefighting operations, a Class A misdemeanor.
Mr. Deyo was picked up in Schenectady and transported to Cobleskill, where he was arraigned before Judge Gary Bywater in Town of Cobleskill Court shortly after 6:30pm Monday.
He was sent to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond, and was to return to court last night at 5pm for further proceedings.
Police Chief Rich Bialkowski said Mr. Deyo was identified from a Wal-Mart security video.
He is homeless, Chief Bialkowski said, and was seen at a Schenectady homeless shelter on July 20, the day after the fire.
Surveillance video showed Mr. Deyo intentionally setting the fire inside the store, using flammable liquids he obtained from the store.
The video also showed Mr. Deyo obstructing the scene of the fire to impede firefighters when they arrived, police said.
Everyone was safely evacuated from the store, and though fire damage was limited to the housewares aisle of Wal-Mart, there was heavy smoke and water damage in other areas and the store was closed until last Wednesday.
Chief Bialkowski said Mr. Deyo worked at the Cobleskill Wal-Mart several years ago and there is as yet no motive for the fire.
Before Monday's arrest, the Cobleskill PD was working off a photo of Mr. Deyo obtained from the Wal-Mart videos that showed a five-foot, 10 inches tall man weighing about 170 pounds with brown hair and a full beard, and wearing a long sleeved shirt, shorts and work boots when he entered Wal-Mart on July 19.
The photo was distributed to the Schenectady PD as well as other local police agencies, Chief Bialkowski said.
Cobleskill Police also spent Friday in Schenectady at homeless shelters and other places homeless people would congregate, Chief Bialkowski said.
Police said Mr. Deyo apparently fled on foot after setting the fire, and though the area around the store was extensively checked by New York State DEC dogs the night of the fire and the fields were searched in the daylight the next day, no other information on his escape turned up.
There is also no vehicle registered in Mr. Deyo's name, Chief Bialkowski added, but police do know that he "had contact" with police in the Village of Scotia the Friday before the fire, Chief Bialkowski said.
Wal-Mart's surveillance cameras showed the man take an accelerant from a store shelf and use that to set other items in the store on fire.
When personnel from the Cobleskill and Richmondville Fire Departments arrived, all the employees and customers had been evacuated from the store.
The store was described as being full of smoke when firefighters arrived, but fire damage was limited to one aisle.
Wal-Mart was closed on Monday morning and property restoration personnel worked in the store on Monday afternoon.
Except for the aisle being worked on, the store was reopened later in the afternoon on Monday.
The store was fully open by Wednesday morning.