The husband of a woman charged with setting a fire at her Nazareth home and church said Tuesday he had no idea his wife was suspected of setting the blazes.
Five months after the community raised donations for Karla Dewey, authorities charged her Monday with arson in the March 13 blaze that destroyed her home and damaged four other town house units. Dewey is also charged with setting another small fire that scorched an office in her church.
Dewey's husband, Richard Dewey, spoke with reporters Tuesday. He said he would not comment on the specifics of the charges against his wife, but said he wanted to thank residents for their donations to his family after the town house fire.
"We lost everything, absolutely everything," said Dewey, a member of the Upper Nazareth Township Fire Department.
In May, Karla Dewey admitted to state police that she had set a couch ablaze in her home, according to court records, then ran outside with her 3-year-old son. In addition to arson charges, Dewey is also charged with lying to investigators, endangering the welfare of a child and causing a catastrophe.
Richard Dewey said Tuesday he had no idea police were going to arrest his wife and, although she met with police in May, he didn't know about her alleged confession.
"I didn't find out anything until I got a call yesterday that she was under arrest," Dewey said. "I was completely blindsided."
He said he understands the frustrations of people in the community who rallied to support his family with donations and then learned authorities had charged his wife.
"I just want people to know our side of what happened," he said. "We are all struggling with this."
One of those who helped organize the fundraising efforts is Ben Miller of Nazareth.
He said Tuesday that Karla Dewey's arrest feels like a betrayal to those who donated to support her and four other residents whose homes were damaged in the March fire.
"To learn that Karla is being charged with setting the fire and that the police have some very compelling evidence against her feels like a slap in the face to me and to the entire Nazareth community," Miller wrote in a Facebook post.
Miller said he didn't know the Dewey family, but helped organize donations because a neighbor was in need. He said even though he's dismayed at Dewey's arrest, he'll still help others in need.
"I am glad we were able to help them and their son, Cole, who lost all his belongings due to the thoughtless actions of his mom," Miller said. "Here's a little boy who lost all his toys. He lost everything."
Dewey is also charged with arson in a 2009 blaze in a vacant office at St. John's United Church of Christ in Nazareth. Police said while Dewey was at the church for choir practice, she set fire to a poster board. The fire burned out before causing extensive damage.
Police said Dewey is a suspect in six other fires in the borough. She remains in Northampton County Prison under $65,000 bail.
Copyright 2012 - The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
