Man who allegedly set fire to Biden/Harris display held without bail, display rebuilt with new message

A Massachusetts man, who was arrested Friday after allegedly setting fire to a Joe Biden and Kamala Harris display, has been ordered held without bail.

As a result of an investigation conducted, police arrested Lonnie Durfee, 49, of Dalton, MA.

The court arraigned Durfee on Tuesday on a charge of burning personal property.

Photos courtesy of Dicken Crane

The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office requested the court hold Durfee as a danger to the community. Judge Paul Smyth scheduled a dangerousness hearing for Friday.

“This is a sad reflection of the vast polarization in our country and in the Berkshires. We believe Mr. Durfee destroyed personal property because he disagreed with the property owner’s political views. Our community will not accept those types of actions under any circumstances,” District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.

“We will hold Mr. Durfee accountable and I hope the community uses this incident as a rallying cry to reject fervent divisiveness and hate.”

The Commonwealth accuses Durfee of using gasoline and motor oil to set fire to hay bales displaying support for the Biden/Harris presidential campaign on Holiday Brook Farm on Friday, October 9, 2020. Dalton Police, State Police, and the Fire Marshal’s Officer determined someone had intentionally lit the fire and the investigation ultimately led Dalton Police to arrest Durfee on Saturday morning.

The farm in response to the arson, rebuilt the display in hopes of rebuilding the division with unity.

Photo courtesy of Colin Ovitsky