Public can help
Police claim Harvey Upton defaulted on thousands of dollars worth of loans on a Connellsville house that was condemned in September by the city’s health department and was slated for an upcoming sheriff’s sale. That, the ATF and Connellsville police, claim was the motivation for Upton to allegedly set fire to the house last month. He was arrested this week on arson. That’s one case solved, but 20 more cases of suspicious house fires remain under investigation. And they haven’t stopped, as an early morning fire Monday at Haas Avenue was added to the list.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been assisting city police in trying to identify suspects as the case load continues to grow. Initially, the first fires were believed to have been set by the same firebug. But as the arsons amassed, authorities feared that one or more copycats had joined in. Suspect Upton is believed to have just taken advantage of the wave of arsons.
This still leaves police with a number of crimes to solve, with much of the evidence destroyed in the fires that have put many lives and properties at risk.
The arsons have given rise to a heightened awareness in many of the city’s neighborhoods. People are uneasy, nervous and are looking out for suspicious behavior.
Any sense of ease that came with the announcement of Upton’s arrest was erased with the knowledge that he is suspected of just one crime. Police have more leads to follow and have asked for the public’s help in identifying a man they would like to question. A composite drawing has been distributed and is shown above.
Periodically the plea is made for anyone with information to come forward. The public needs to do what it can to work with police, and police need to make the public aware of what more they need to get these cases solved before more families are put at risk. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 724-628-2020.