HANSON, Mass. — A bar owner in Hanson is being accused of burning down her own establishment and enlisting the help of a retired Boston firefighter to do it.
Back in July, JJ's Pub burned to the ground, a massive fire that injured two firefighters.
A grand jury has indicted the bar owner, her boyfriend and a retired Boston firefighter on arson charges. All three suspects pleaded not guilty in court on Friday.
Investigators believe Patricia Harrison, the owner of JJ's Pub, conspired to burn down her own bar to the ground with the help of 75-year-old retired Boston firefighter Alfred Russo.
"If they’re found guilty I want them held accountable for their actions, this was something that was very significant put a lot of people at risk," said Hanson Fire Chief Thompson.
@boston25 #Exclusive: bar owner & 2 accomplices allegedly conspire to set OWN bar on fire for a hefty payout from insurance. The man accused of lighting the blaze? A retired Boston firefighter. Full story on WHY these 3 would do this & what the State has to say about their case pic.twitter.com/XO1KGHIsEg
— Julie Leonardi (@JulieLeonardiTV) October 26, 2018
Chief Thompson says it's troubling to hear business owners in his community are being accused of committing such a crime.
Assistant DA Alex Zane said in court Harrison and her boyfriend Wayne Cummings were set to collect $20,000 in insurance money for the building, a property he says was useless to the couple. The state believes Russo's costly addiction to pain pills and currently financial situation could have motivated him to commit the crime.
On July 5, the night of the fire, Russo was caught on camera entering the bar, where he would stay inside for about 10 minutes and then leaving. About two minutes after he leaves the building, smoke starts to come out of the pub.
Firefighters battled the flames on one of the hottest nights of the year, sending two of them to the hospital for heat-related illness.
"If he is found guilty it would be very disappointing that somebody that was in our trade our in our industry would do something like that," said Chief Thompson.
Russo, Harrison and Cummings are due back in court in December for a pre-trial conference. Meanwhile, all three have been ordered to undergo drug and alcohol screenings.
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