GREENFIELD — An investigation of a house fire last fall has led to the arrest of a local man accused of setting the blaze amid a dispute with the home’s owner.
Shawn M. Mayhugh, 29, Greenfield, has been charged with a Level 4 felony count of arson; a Level 4 felony count of burglary and a Level 6 felony count of residential entry in connection with the fire. The most serious charge carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
No one was home at the time of the fire in the 1000 block of East Fifth Street, which was reported at 2:18 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2020. Firefighters soon discovered the fire was in the attic with moderate smoke and flames coming out of the east side of the house, a report stated.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Mayhugh was living in the home until the end of August 2020, when he was kicked out of the residence by the victim, who is the homeowner and was making plans to move into the residence.
The victim told officials there was no insurance on the structure the day of the fire but that she was looking into getting insurance coverage when the incident happened, court records stated.
Officials with the Greenfield Police Department and Greenfield Fire Territory, including fire marshal Steve Kropacek, conducted an investigation after several witnesses placed Mayhugh at the scene prior to the fire starting, the affidavit said.
One witness told investigators that they had seen Mayhugh minutes before the fire near the residence and that he had broken into the home to steal a picture. Examination by fire investigators of the living room confirmed that someone tried to remove the frame around a picture to take it but was unsuccessful.
Mayhugh had also bragged to others, the court documents stated, that he was the one who set the house on fire. The victim told officials Mayhugh had been squatting on the property and selling drugs out of the house.
Officials interviewed Mayhugh, who was already in the county jail on other charges, on Feb. 18.
After first denying he had anything to do with setting the fire, Mayhugh eventually admitted his role in the blaze, the affidavit said. He told investigators he used a torch to set the fire, the affidavit said.
Mayhugh told officials the victim had ruined his life by kicking him out. He told investigators he was high on drugs at the time he set the fire, the affidavit said.
The case against him was filed Feb. 25. Mayhugh had an initial appearance in Hancock County Superior Court 1 on Monday, March 1 where Court Commissioner Cody Coombs set a cash bond at $15,000 and appointed a public defender. Mayhugh is scheduled for a pretrial conference in April and was still listed an inmate in the county jail at the Daily Reporter’s deadline.
