A 30-year-old man was charged Friday with torching the awning at the Ansonia Republican headquarters on West Street.
Alberto Lamberty, of West Street, was charged with third-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief.
Lamberty’s alleged act is not thought to have been motivated by politics, police said. Rather, it was a random act, according to information from Lt. Wayne Williams, the department’s spokesman.
Police said video surveillance from several nearby businesses assisted them in the investigation. Lamberty allegedly set the fire at 44 West Main St. Oct. 1.
It did minimal damage to the awning, but shook up local Republican leaders.
“The building’s been there forever. The awning’s been there forever. We move in a few weeks ago, put up a string of flags and the next day, somebody sets it on fire,” Pat Henri, vice-chairman of the Republican Town Committee told the Valley Independent Sentinel earlier this week.
Lamberty, who, police said, recently moved to Ansonia from Florida, was being held Friday on a $125,000 bond pending a court appearance Oct. 13 at Superior Court in Derby.
