Man accused of trying to torch three Rotterdam homes Wednesday, March 26, 2008
ROTTERDAM — Town police say a man tried to set fire to three homes on Putnam and Schemerhorn roads early Tuesday. Police said Michael Altheiser, 47, of 107 Putnam Road, set the fires in the entranceways of the three homes, but the homeowners were able to douse the flames before they could spread. Altheiser was charged with felony first-degree arson, with additional charges expected, police said. Altheiser was arraigned in Town Court and sent to the Schenectady County jail without bail.
ROTTERDAM Putnam Road man charged with arson in overnight fires BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Rotterdam police arrested a Putnam Road man with a lengthy criminal record, charging him with arson in connection with three fi res at nearby homes early Tuesday morning. Police said Michael Althiser, 47, of 107 Putnam Road, was charged with felony first-degree arson. He is suspected of starting fires at the entrances of the three occupied homes, using a flammable liquid. In each instance the fires were extinguished by residents. Lt. Jason Murphy said he was unsure of Althiser’s connections with the homeowners or what motivated the incidents. “He was rather uncooperative, so I don’t know what his motives were,” Murphy said Wednesday. Murphy also declined to elaborate on the investigation. Althiser was arrested at his home after authorities executed a search warrant. County Fire Coordinator John Nuzback said the fires weren’t substantial, but did cause damage. He said one resident managed snuff the flames using a blanket and water. “But the potential there was significant,” he said. CLOSE CALL Joan Macniven said she was asleep and her husband Timothy had just returned home from work when their fire alarm sounded just after midnight. She said her husband quickly moved to extinguish the fire with towels, blankets and water she fetched from the kitchen. But it wasn't until morning that the couple realized someone had doused the doorstep of their Schemerhorn Road residence with a fire accelerant. Macniven said the home's siding and its front door were blackened from where the fire flashed over it. "If we hadn't heard [the fire alarm] and if my husband hadn't come home early, the house would have burned to the ground," she said. "He meant to burn it down." She said her husband sustained minor burns. Macniven said she and her husband didn't know Althiser or recognize his mug shot when it appeared on television Wednesday. She said the series of fires Tuesday rattled them and many of their neighbors. "All the neighbors slept with their lights on last night," she said. Althiser has a significant criminal record dating back to 1976. He spent three stints in prison for separate burglary convictions and more recently, drunken driving. Althiser was arraigned in Town Court and sent to the Schenectady County Jail, where he’s being held without bail. Murphy said Althiser is likely to face additional charges. “The investigation is still ongoing,” he said.
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