A San Bruno man was taken into custody Friday after footage from a surveillance camera revealed he entered the men’s restroom at his apartment complex moments before the complex’s property manager discovered a toilet seat cover dispenser had been set on fire, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
David Dashute, a 55-year-old resident of the complex, is facing up to 14 years in state prison for the six counts of felony arson he has been charged with for incidents at the apartment building dating back to July, according to prosecutors.
Authorities installed a surveillance camera at the complex on the 1100 block of National Avenue after several calls reporting fires at the apartment building’s men’s restroom and in a trash room had been logged with the San Bruno police and fire departments earlier in the year, according to prosecutors.
On six different occasions, Dashute is believed to have used a similar strategy of lighting a toilet seat cover dispenser or toilet paper dispenser in the same restroom on fire at around 5 a.m. In a Feb. 8 incident, Dashute reported a fire in a third-floor trash room in the apartment building, where a towel had been set on fire, according to prosecutors.
Dashute had been seen near the scenes by those who reported and responded to the incidents, and on April 20, was seen coming out of the complex’s main lobby some 15 minutes after the property manager reported smoke and fire emanating from the men’s restroom at around 5:20 a.m., according to prosecutors.
Dashute pleaded not guilty to his charges when he appeared in court Wednesday, and county’s private defender program was appointed to his case. Bail was set at $100,000 and he will next appear in court May 7 for preliminary hearing, according to prosecutors.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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