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Kenneth Brown, 27, was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 24 after Hyde Park Police were first called to the Arbor Apartments on Hook Road on Wednesday, Jan. 16 for a reported odor of gas, said Hyde Park Police Chief Robert Benson.
Upon arrival, officers entered the building and discovered there was a strong odor of natural gas emanating from the building. Officers immediately evacuated all residents from the building, said Benson.
Upon speaking with and working with the Fairview Fire Department, it was quickly determined that the point of origin was a crimped gas line in the common laundry room on the bottom floor, he said.
Patrol noted that there were multiple similar type calls involving gas lines that were tampered with and Brown was developed as a person of interest following an investigation.
Benson said after officers spoke with Brown it was determined that there were many inconsistencies with his story and he later confessed to three incidents where he knowingly and intentionally tampered with the gas lines that supply the laundry room.
The dates of the previous incidents were Jan. 9, 2017, and August 3, 2018.
During the most recent incident, Brown said that he did know that his family was inside the residence when he had intentionally tampered with the gas line.
He was charged with three counts of felony reckless endangerment and felony criminal tampering.
Brown was arraigned in front of Judge Petito and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail on $50,000 cash or $100,000 bail bond
He is scheduled to reappear in the Town of Hyde Park Justice Court on Jan. 30.
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