Thrice Burned, Not Very Shy
When William Calderwood's Cleveland, Ohio, home was destroyed in an explosion on January 25, 2010, he told fire investigators his alibi.
"I'm lucky. I was walking our dog around 3 p.m., just 10 minutes before the explosion," he repeated to the local newspaper. "Lucky my wife was at work." He was also happy to give interviews with the local TV stations about the blast of a vacant house next door to him. The explosion destroyed that house, his own home, and damaged more than 50 others in the neighborhood.
Fire investigators were immediately suspicious -- they hadn't asked Calderwood for an alibi. They got more suspicious when they did a background check and found two arson convictions on his rap sheet, as well as a conviction for a sex crime and another for weapons violations.
"He is just a weird dude," said the investigator in Calderwood's previous arson case.
Calderwood calls himself a real estate investor; his business cards are embossed with a biblical passage from Luke 6: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
After investigators ruled out all accidental causes and ruled the explosion was intentional, Calderwood, 57, was arrested February 3 and charged with aggravated arson. His apparent motive: within days of the explosion, Calderwood had already filed a lawsuit against the Dominion East Ohio Gas Co., blaming them for the explosion. Many neighbors have also joined the suit.
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Most Recent Comments
Posted by Bob, Illinois on February 8, 2010:
Just to be fair, we don't know what the arson convictions were from. I know someone that has an arson conviction for burning trash behind his garage. I'm just sayin' we don't always know what really happened in the previous charges. Most of the time I think you are right on but not always. Without having all the fact's about someones past we shouldn't judge.
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If I read the reports right, the last conviction had to do with burning his own house down. Even if that's correct, that doesn't mean he's guilty now, but.... -rc
Posted by Ritchie, Tennessee on February 11, 2010:
Love to know who he gets his homeowner's policy from.
Posted by Steve, Kansas City MO on February 20, 2010:
Since he obviously was not IN THE HOUSE when the explosion took place, it seems pretty reasonable to deduce that he was lucky to be walking his dog at the time.
That would be the first thing I said if my house (or the neighbours' house) blew up, too. "Wow, I'm sure glad I wasn't in it..."