Jaffrey police are investigating a case in which a scarecrow was set on fire on Main Street early Friday morning.
“The scarecrows are so unique to Jaffrey. It really is unfortunate when people vandalize them,” said Police Chief Bill Oswalt. “So many people stop and take a look at the scarecrows every year.”
The fire was called in at 5 a.m. and located at the intersection of Main Street and Bradley Court, near the Jaffrey Civic Center. Oswalt said there is already a person of interest in the case.
The Fire Department was also called to the scene to put out the smoldering remains. Several other scarecrows were found to have been kicked over or vandalized in the area upon investigation.
The person of interest, an adult male, was the only person in the area when police went out to investigate, according to Oswalt. The adult male was found on foot near the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance garage.
This is the second year that a scarecrow has been set on fire in Jaffrey. Last year, police charged a 14-year-old with the crime after he admitted to setting a scarecrow on fire in front of the Post Office.
Oswalt said he has no evidence to suggest the crimes are connected at this time.
There are over 200 scarecrows installed around town as part of Scarecrows on the Common, which is sponsored by TEAM Jaffrey. The annual event occurred on Oct. 8. This year the event brought in over 1,000 people from five states.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.