June 11---- Three local men have been arrested on felony charges after investigators determined a fire was set at an unoccupied home in Hartwick to collect more than $50,000 of insurance money, Otsego County deputies said today.
About 60 firefighters from Hartwick, Laurens, Cooperstown, Mount Vision and Fly Creek departments responded to the May 1 fire that destroyed Claud Folds' two-story house at 2977 County Highway 11 in the hamlet of Hartwick, authorities said.
Deputies filed arson, conspiracy and insurance fraud charges on May 30 against Claud David "Flip" Folds, 63, and his son, Jeremy James Folds, 20, both of 2994 County Highway 11 in Hartwick, and their friend Adelbert Marion Cleaveland, 48, of Cooperstown.
The defendants were arraigned in Hartwick court, sent to jail on bail and later released on recognizance, pending later court appearances, authorities said.
Copyright 2013 - The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
