2008 Woodie Awards
Ferrisburgh feels fire aftermath
Local citizen arraigned on arson charges
Elizabeth Siegel
Issue date: 2/24/05 Section: Local News
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The Vergennes resident was taken into custody at the Middlebury barracks on Thursday, Feb. 17 for the recent string of fires, three in total, which plagued nearby Ferrisburgh. According to a Vermont State Police affidavit, Husk admitted to first torching Ferrisburgh resident James Danyow's barn on the evening of Feb. 15, setting fire to the town's historic Grange Hall later that night and burning his own farm on Feb. 17, completing the destructive trio.
Despite the alleged admission of guilt, Husk pled innocent at his Friday arraignment in front of Judge Christina Reiss, who set his bail at $50,000.
Following Reiss' decision and the reported retention of Husk at the Marble Valley Correctional Center in Rutland, the town of Ferrisburgh has felt able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"He basically admitted to the fires," commented the town's Selectboard Chairman Larry Simino, "so now the townspeople don't have to worry that [an arsonist] is still around."
Mingled with the quelled fears, however, are shades of uneasiness. As noted by volunteer firefighter Scott Palmer '05, "If a fire starts, you want it to have been from natural causes. It's hard to tell yourself that there is someone out there who did it."
The fact that the arsonist was himself a local resident, having grown up in Ferrisburgh before moving to Vergennes, further colors the story. "In a small community like Ferrisburgh," commented Middlebury College College Residential Advisor (CRA) and Palmer's co-volunteer Eric Ambrette '04, "that sort of thing is a huge surprise." Ambrette, who helped put out the fire at Grange Hall, added "It's a sad sight to see."
Ferrisburgh's tragedy of local resident turning local arsonist has caused heartbreak for friends and family of Husk, who cite mental instability as the cause of the destructive acts. They say that ever since Husk suffered a coma and underwent brain surgery following an ATV accident last February he has been a different person.