RIDGWAY –– An Elk County man faces arson and insurance fraud charges after, authorities allege, he torched his own Horton Township log home in April to collect insurance money.
Shawn A. Schaefer was arraigned Friday and released on $25,000 unsecured bond, a state police fire marshal, Cpl. Greg Agosti, reported. Schaefer faces charges of arson endangering persons, a first-degree felony; arson and related offenses, a second-degree felony; theft by deception, a third-degree felony; and criminal mischief and insurance fraud, both third-degree felonies, Agosti said.
On April 25, at about 9:33 p.m., Agosti was asked to investigate the origin and cause of a fire that damaged the two-story log home at 1454 California Road, owned by Schaefer and his wife, Monique Schaefer. The home was listed for sale, and the owners were not present at the time of the fire, according to court documents.
Agosti determined the fire originated from a lit candle located on the countertop in the kitchen of the home.
“Fire patterns and physical evidence demonstrated a diffuse fuel ignition occurred,” according to court documents. “A diffuse fuel is a gas, vapor, dust, particulate, aerosol, mist, fog or hybrid mixture of these, suspended in the atmosphere, which is capable of being ignited and propagating a flame front.”
The diffuse fuel may have ignited because of the open candle flame in the kitchen, court documents state.
“A flash fire occurred which traveled rapidly from the kitchen through the dining room and living room,” records state. “The rapid fire caused significant heat and smoke damage; however, the duration of the flash fire was only momentary.”
An irregular fire consumption pattern was located across the floor of the living room and dining room, and irregular patterns may indicate the presence of an ignitable liquid, Agosti said. A linear fire consumption pattern was also located on the surface of the stairway leading to the second hour, court documents state.
A forensic scientist with the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office, wrote three trace evidence reports concerning materials examined from the Schaefer home. The scientist located trace evidence of ignitable liquid in the stairway of the home.
“She also located trace evidence of ignitable liquid on a wall and on the living room carpet,” court records state. “The trace evidence was connected to 3M Drywall Corner Bead Spray Adhesive 61. The product was present in the Schaefer home at the time of the fire. It is distributed in aerosol form. The product bears a warning label ‘DANGER! Extremely Flammable Liquid and Vapor. Vapors may cause flash fire.’ The product is capable of causing the fire damage observed within the Schaefer home.”
Agosti interviewed a neighbor who said she was watching television and observed the time on the television to be 8:26 p.m. April 25. She decided to take her dog outside, exiting the front door of her home that faced Schaefer’s on the opposite side of the road.
“She stepped onto her lawn with her dog and estimated she was on the lawn for a minute or two. She was looking at Schaefer’s home when an explosion occurred inside the home,” court documents state. “She observed an orange fireball streak across the windows on the front side.”
According to court records, the fireball quickly went out.
“She second guessed what she saw and hesitated before calling 911. She decided to call 911 when she realized a smoke haze was collecting over the home,” court records state. “She advised she did not see Schaefer’s vehicle when she came outside.”
Elk County 911 records indicate the neighbor called 911 to report the fire at 8:30 p.m. April 25.
Agosti interviewed Schaefer multiple times concerning the fire with the first occurring at the scene that night.
Schaefer said he went to baseball practice for his son on Grant Road in Ridgway prior to the fire, and his estranged wife dropped him off at the California Road address around 7:45 p.m.
Later that night, Schaefer allegedly received a text from a baseball coach indicating that his son did a great job at practice earlier.
“He then attempted to speak with (the official) by voice communication through his cellular device. He explained they dropped a lot of calls as cell service at his California Road home was poor,” according to court documents.
Later that night, Schaefer said he decided to leave the house to go to Sheetz in Ridgway for food. He picked up cell service at the Horton Township line on California Road approximately 500 feet from his home.
“He stayed connected with (the coach) the entire way to Sheetz, while at Sheetz and on the way home,” according to court documents. “Shawn advised he started getting calls about the fire on his way home just after he made the turn up Boot Jack.”
He then received a Facebook message about the house fire, and Schaefer claimed that he told the individual to put the fire out.
“Shawn explained he then received a call from Monique saying she learned the neighbor‘s house was on fire,” court records state. “
“Shawn let Monique know it was their house that was on fire. He explained he arrived at the scene before Monique. Shawn further explained they were behind on the mortgage but it was now current,” court records state. “He emphasized that he and Monique agreed to sell the house.”
The duo placed the house on the market about 20 days before the fire occurred. Schaefer informed Agosti that the mortgage payment was $1,678 per month, which made them financially strapped.
Agosti said the home was insured for approximately $457,252 through State Farm.
According to court documents, a credit report lists for Schaefer having five accounts as “placed for collection.”
Agosti notes, “There is not enough time for a third-party actor to enter the residence and cause a fire after Shawn Schaefer departs. The timeline further indicates that Shawn Schaefer was present on the property or within a very close proximity to the property when the fire ignited.”
