Police have charged a Jaffrey man with arson after determining that he set fire to a scarecrow on Main Street earlier in the month.
David Bennett, 26, was arrested on a warrant on Monday after police determined they had enough evidence to move forward with charges.
“[Bennett] was the person of interest from the beginning,” said Police Chief Bill Oswalt, in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a circumstantial case but we believe we have enough evidence to charge him.”
Bennett was the only person in the area when police were called to the fire. Police found Bennett walking near Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance which is about a quarter of a mile down the road from where the fire took place.
Police were alerted of the fire at 5 a.m. on Oct. 14. Several other scarecrows were found to have been kicked over or vandalized, but Oswalt said charges will not be pursued for those scarecrows.
The Fire Department was also called to the scene to put out the smoldering remains.
This is the second year in a row 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.
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.