IN JULY AND AUGUST OF 2007, TWO MASSACHUSETTS men went on an arson spree in the Worcester area. They burned down a vacant paper mill, a railroad bungalow, a farmer’s barn and most notably, the 18th-century home of Mary Sawyer, the woman whose pet lamb followed her to school one day and let to the famed American nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb.
The arsonists, John Drousseau and Michael Dreslinski were caught primarily from being tracked by a GPS transmitter that had been secretly placed on their truck through a court order relating to a separate criminal acitivity. They were arraigned on the arson charges in February, 2008, and have been incarcerated since.
This past Monday, following an 11-day trial, Dreslinski was found guilty by a jury on four arson counts. His partner Rousseau will be tried on the same charges next week. The judge postponed sentencing until after Rousseau’s trial is completed.
The Republican has the STORY.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette has a longer REPORT HERE.
Firegeezer’s earlier posting from February, 2008, includes a brief history and photo of Mary Sawyer’s cabin HERE. We have also included a movie clip of Thomas Edison reciting the poem as he did when he made his first-ever phonograph recording.
Also on FireGeezer…
- A Career-Stopper for Sure – February 5, 2010
- 3 UK Teens Arrested for Fire Death – November 9, 2009
- Dual Deli Damage Suspicious – October 17, 2009
- Northampton Arson Arrest – January 5, 2010
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