Vernon Man Arrested In Connection With Ellington Masonic Lodge Fire

ELLINGTON, CT — A 23-year-old man from Vernon was arrested Friday on a warrant charging him with arson and criminal mischief in connection with a Jan. 7 fire at the historic Fayette Masonic Lodge in Ellington.

Gino DeGrandis was located on Prospect Street in the Rockville section of Vernon around 11 a.m. Friday. He was held on a court-set $100,000 cash or surety bond, and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Rockville Superior Court.

According to an affidavit supporting DeGrandis' arrest, Tolland County Mutual Aid Fire Services received a 911 call at 9:41 a.m. reporting a building fire at the lodge, located at 141 Orchard Street. Security footage from the lodge and multiple neighbors showed a white man wearing a black knit hat, gray winter jacket and black pants, later identified as DeGrandis, walking north on Orchard Street carrying an item in his hands close to his chest.

Around 8:10 a.m., DeGrandis approached a door on the south side of the lodge building, carrying a cup in his right hand, and moves to the corner near the retaining wall. Shortly thereafter, a splash of liquid was seen coming from the corner between the door and the retaining wall. DeGrandis then walked away from the door toward the front of the building as a plastic drink lid was seen falling onto the walkway near the door, according to the affidavit.

Further surveillance footage from a nearby Gulf station shows DeGrandis pumping gasoline into a plastic cup shortly before 8 a.m. A state police canine detected "the presence of ignitable liquids" both at the fire scene and on clothing and sneakers worn by DeGrandis, according to the affidavit.

Damage to the building, constructed in 1850, totaled $29,304, according to the affidavit.