The alleged West Berbice serial arsonist was yesterday remanded to prison on a charge of setting fire to a building and was placed on $30,000 bail on two counts of threatening behaviour.
The defendant, 36-year-old Dennis Evans called ‘Dye-Dye’ was arrested just before 6 pm on Wednesday after police received information that he was staying at a house at Bush Lot. When the police approached, the man made a dash through a cash crop farm in an escape bid but could not outrun the police due to an injured foot.
Residents had told Stabroek News that the police fired four shots in his direction and that one reportedly grazed his hand. However, police stated in a release yesterday that the man had in fact, not been shot. It is alleged that on Friday, June 13 at Bath Settlement, the man set fire to the home of Malcolm and Pulmattie Etwaru just before midnight. He was also charged with threatening their daughter, Seeta Persaud on May 24 and on May 26.
The court heard that the police are investigating similar matters against him and that he is likely to face other charges soon.
The man reportedly went to Persaud’s Bath Experiment Scheme house on May 24 and threw gasoline into it. He threatened to burn the house with Persaud, her current partner, Nawaz Chaseem and his three-year-old son in it.
According to the reports, the child woke up and started to scream, causing Evans to abandon his plans. He then told the couple that the child saved them.
They were forced to flee the house the following day and moved to the home of Chaseem’s parents, also at Bath Settlement.
At around 9 am on May 26, the man reportedly barged into the house and threatened Persaud with a cutlass. She escaped and ran into a neighbour’s house to seek cover.
The family was staying at the home of Persaud’s parents when the man allegedly set it on fire.
