White River Junction
Police say they linked Sean K. Runnals to the May 1 fire through DNA found on latex gloves that were located inside a plastic bag near the site of the fire, according to an affidavit filed in his case.
Runnals was arraigned on a felony charge of attempted first-degree arson on Tuesday in Windsor Superior Court in White River Junction. He is being held on $10,000 bail.
Meanwhile, prosecutors, police and fire officials say the Shady Lawn, which once was the site of numerous arrests and prosecutions each year, continues to turn over a new leaf.
“Prosecutions arising from the Shady Lawn were once a volume business. That is no longer the case,” Windsor County State’s Attorney David Cahill said on Tuesday. “Crime still does occur there, but it’s not omnipresent like it once was.”
Hartford Police Chief Phil Kasten said the number of calls for service to the Shady Lawn continues to decrease compared to what they were prior to the motel’s owners signing a memorandum of understanding earlier this year.
“We can’t complain whatsoever with the interactions that we have had with staff on site (at the Shady Lawn),” Kasten said of the new partnership the motel’s staff has with prosecutors and police in town.
The memorandum resulted after Cahill put the motel owners’ company, Jalaram Hospitality LLC, on notice about addressing ongoing issues at the site.
Three fires that occurred shortly after the memorandum was signed threatened to tarnish Shady Lawn’s reputation as the motel was working to improve it.
Around 2:30 a.m. on April 29, an unidentified individual set a fire near an outside corner of the motel building, according to the affidavit in Runnals’ case. Management extinguished the fire, discarded evidence and never called police to report it, the affidavit says.
Because the evidence was tampered with, no one has been charged in connection with that fire, Cahill said on Tuesday.
Roughly 48 hours later, on May 1, a motel tenant called 911 to report another fire near the outside of the building. In that instance, police allege, it was Runnals who tried to start a fire using a plastic bag, small branches and gasoline, according to the affidavit.
Latex gloves that smelled like gas were found near the site of that fire, and forensic examiners linked the DNA on them to Runnals, the affidavit says.
Police confronted Runnals about his alleged involvement in the fire in July at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vt., where he was incarcerated on unrelated charges. He told police he was innocent and agreed to take a polygraph test, though he later declined that offer, the affidavit states.
The affidavit indicates an unidentified person also set a fire at the Shady Lawn on April 1.
Runnals had been residing at the Dismas House, a nonprofit dedicated to reintroducing former prisoners into society, at the time he allegedly set the May fire, the affidavit says. The Dismas House is located about a mile from the motel.
A director at the Dismas House told police Runnals made a comment in June to the effect of “you won’t have to worry about (the Shady Lawn) much longer, because somebody is going to burn it to the ground,” according to the affidavit.
Records filed in Windsor Superior Court indicate Runnals has an extensive criminal history, including one felony and 13 misdemeanor convictions.
Runnals remains incarcerated at the Springfield jail. He is scheduled for a status conference on Dec. 19.
Cahill, the state’s attorney, said he hopes to revisit the memorandum with Kasten and hotel management in March, which will mark one year since the document was signed.
Hartford police responded to 131 calls for service at the motel in 2016, and as of Tuesday, officers had answered 84 calls, Kasten said.
“Overall, calls for service are down over this time last year,” he said. “This summer there was a much decreased demand on police services, but as residency is starting to increase, we are seeing an increase in calls for service.”
After the signing of the document — which forced motel management to undergo town and state site inspections and improve conditions in some rooms, among other things — staff rented out rooms to fewer people. Occupancy appears to be back up, Kasten said.
Hartford Fire Chief Scott Cooney said his department hasn’t responded to a fire at the Shady Lawn since the May incident.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.