Feb 26, 2005 By Angie Santello 5 min read

MASONTOWN – Lights always shined brightly on the yard of Martha Lardin’s 404 N. Main St. home that she has lived in all of her life. In fact, she was born in that very house. But after someone attempted to set fire to a car outside her home, the 77-year-old had motion lights installed to ward off any criminal activity. “It was a frightening experience. Thank goodness the Lord was on our side,” Lardin said.

During the early morning hours of Dec. 12, 2004, someone stuck a tissue in the gas tank of her car and then set the tissue on fire.

When dawn broke, Lardin found the tissue burnt at the edge in the vehicle’s gas tank.

“Thank God the gasoline (in the tank) was low. If it was at the top and they set it on fire, it would have exploded,” Lardin said.

“That’s the first time we’ve had this experience,” she added. “I never had trouble before. It’s only in the last 20 years that we had to lock our doors.”

Although Lardin has seen Masontown go through better times, the recent crime spree could not cause her to leave her residence.

“It’s going to take something worse than that to make me move,” she said.

In a method similar to the attempted arson at Lardin’s home, six arsons have occurred within the past four months in the riverside community, all in the early morning hours. All six have destroyed or damaged personal property.

Masontown Police Chief Rich Barron said the arsons are something Masontown has never experienced before. The fires have led to residents feeling a little apprehensive, he said.

So far, police have not made any arrests in the fires, but Barron welcomes input from residents for help in arresting those connected to the arsons.

“It’s something we just never had before,” Barron said. “Hopefully, we’ll have the evidence to make some arrests soon.”

At 6:06 a.m. on the same day as the attempted arson at Lardin’s home, someone set fire to two tilt-bed tow trucks at Shaffer’s Towing Service at 410 N. Main St.

Barron said the arsonist stuck a rag in the gas tank and then lit it on fire, leaving the gas can in the bed of the truck.

“One (truck) was destroyed and one was slightly burned,” Barron said.

Jim Shaffer, owner of Shaffer’s Towing Service, estimated the cost of overall damage to his trucks at $16,500, a price that includes a truck valued at $15,000.

Shaffer said even though his business recovered from damages since it was insured, the fire prompted him to take additional precautions at his place of employment.

“I lock everything inside every night,” he said. “I worry about my building and everything in it.”

The fires continued three days before Christmas when someone lit up a van parked outside Royster Auto Center at 422 N. Main St. at 2:59 a.m. Fire jumped from the van to the auto center, damaging a portion of the building.

Owner of the family-owned repair shop Alfred Royster estimated the damage to his garage between $5,000 and $10,000.

Since the fire, Royster’s daily business operations have resumed in an undamaged section of the garage. The 83-year-old business owner said he must continue with his work no matter what because he relies on the money to pay his bills.

“People ask me how I do it. I tell them I work a little, I drink a little and I pray a lot and that’s what gets me through,” Royster said.

On Nov. 19, an arsonist struck three times during an overnight period that left fire and police crews exhausted.

“These fires all occurred within the same half-hour,” Barron said.

At 1:43 a.m., someone sparked a fire that destroyed a vacant split-level house at 135 Columbus Ave. valued at around $80,000. The home was a foreclosure listing owned by the Veterans Administration out of Cleveland, Ohio.

Barron said two adults are suspected in the case. Officers followed the suspects’ footprints left in the snow, he added.

About 10 minutes later, someone set fire to a 1991 Chevrolet parked in front of Shawn Beck’s 331 W. Church Ave. residence. The car was totaled in the fire.

Lastly, at 2:11 a.m., someone lit fire to a Dumpster behind the United Mine Workers of America building at 32 S. Main St. That fire was contained.

More recently, within the last couple of months, someone ignited a car in the parking lot of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Faith Gray McArdle Post 4584 in a fire deemed suspicious, Barron said.

Beck, Royster, Lardin and Shaffer’s experiences are only a few of the arsons plaguing not only the Masontown community, but the cities of Uniontown and Connellsville. These major Fayette County communities have seen an increase in arsons in 2004 as compared to 2003.

In Masontown, the recent string of arsons coupled with other criminal activity, including a case of identity theft and a $7,000 burglary from the VFW that was deemed a professional job, marks an unprecedented trend of crime.

Masontown has had a 22 percent increase in requests for police services since 2003. Last year brought a record total of 2,597 requests for police services, Barron said.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7219 Quartermaster Jack Critz said the same thing about the robbery of $15,000 in cash from the Fairchance VFW in November.

VFWs across three counties have experienced similar attacks in recent months. In late June, an estimated $10,000 to $12,000 was stolen from Uniontown’s Post 47.

Barron blames the increased countywide crime rate on three factors: poor economic conditions, increased occupancy in public housing developments and rising drug-related problems.

Anyone with information on the arsons should call the Masontown Police Department at 724-583-7779.