MILTON — A former Turbotville resident set the apartment he rented from his boss ablaze one day after being fired from his pizza shop job, said state police at Milton, who are charging Chester Michael Kasianczuk with arson.
Kasianczuk, 34, was arraigned Thursday morning after being apprehended by police in Manheim, Lancaster County. He had been sought by police since the Oct. 8 fire that destroyed a building at Rear 37 Main St., Turbotville. He was picked up in Manheim, according to state police.
According to arrest documents, Kasianczuk was fired Oct. 7 from his job at OIP Turbotville by Filippo Cracchiolo, who was also his landlord. Cracchiolo gave Kasianczuk until 9 the next morning to vacate the apartment located in a separate building behind the pizza shop. Kasianczuk had lived there in since June .
Between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Oct. 8, Kasianczuk placed a plastic container on the floor of the apartment and set it afire, police say. The blaze destroyed the building, causing a loss of $141,700, according to Norman Fedder, the state police fire marshal who investigated the fire.
During the arraignment, Kasianczuk claimed he did not set the fire, that he had left the area several hours before. District Judge William F. Kear admonished him to be quiet, noting that anything he said could be used against him in a trial.
Court records show Kasianczuk has a lengthy rap sheet, including at least nine arrests in the past 12 years, including cases in Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties, as well as in Philadelphia.
Kasianczuk’s criminal background includes convictions for prostitution, harassment, drug possession, burglary and forgery.
He was arraigned before Kear and charged with four counts of arson, criminal mischief and criminal trespassing.
Kear set bail at $35,000 straight cash, and Kasianczuk was taken to Northumberland Count Prison because he could not immediately post bail.
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Wayne Laepple/The Daily Item
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