Probation for MA Man Who Obstructed Firefighters

WORCESTER — A Mendon man was placed on probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges of obstructing firefighters' efforts to put out a blaze that leveled his home last year.

David W. Cheschi, 51, formerly of 138 Blackstone St., Mendon, was placed on probation for three years after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to charges of interfering with firefighters, obstructing firefighting efforts and resisting arrest.

As conditions of the period of probation imposed by Judge James R. Lemire, Mr. Cheschi, who has a history of mental illness, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and any related treatment recommended by the Probation Department and to continue with counseling he has been receiving from Arbour Counseling Services.

Assistant District Attorney Joseph A. Simmons said Mendon police and firefighters responded to 138 Blackstone St., Mendon on the night of March 5, 2015, for a fire that had been reported by a passerby. Firefighter Dan Fluerry, the first member of the Fire Department to arrive at the scene, found flames shooting from the left rear basement corner of the house, which was under foreclosure, and saw Mr. Cheschi sitting in the driver's seat of a running van that was blocking the driveway, according to Mr. Simmons.

The firefighter knocked on the window of the van, but got no response, the prosecutor said. He then cracked the door of the van and asked if anyone was inside. Mr. Cheschi shook his head, but said nothing, according to Mr. Simmons.

Mendon police officers soon arrived. The officers, who were aware of Mr. Cheschi's mental illness and had been involved in prior interactions with him, were concerned for their safety, Mr. Simmons told the court. They approached the van and ordered the defendant to show his hands.

Mr. Cheschi looked at the officers, then slumped down in his seat, out of their sight, according to Mr. Simmons. Drawing their firearms, the officers slowly advanced on the van, ordering Mr. Cheschi to sit up and display his hands, the assistant district attorney said. When Mr. Cheschi failed to respond, the officers used their flashlights and saw wires wrapped around the van.

Concerned that the wiring might have been connected to some sort of explosive device, the officers waited for backup to arrive. Once additional officers were at the scene, police opened the door of the van and tried to remove Mr. Cheschi from it, Mr. Simmons said. They saw that he had wires wrapped around his legs, according to the prosecutor.

Mr. Cheschi struggled with the officers and it took two of them to pull him from the vehicle, according to the assistant district attorney's account. An officer had to use his Tazer on Mr. Cheschi three times in order to get handcuffs on him and he and his fellow officers had to carry the defendant down the driveway to place him in a cruiser, and later an ambulance, according to Mr. Simmons.

Mr. Cheschi was taken to Milford Regional Medical Center.

While the altercation with Mr. Cheschi was continuing, firefighters were held back from approaching the house and the fire continued to grow, Mr. Simmons said. By the time Mr. Cheschi was removed from the van, most of the house was engulfed in flames, according to the prosecutor.

Firefighters then moved a truck up another driveway, which was covered in more than a foot of snow, and began their efforts to extinguish the blaze. The house was destroyed, and after the fire was put out, the firetruck was stuck in the show, Mr. Simmons said.

He said investigators were unable to rule out an accidental cause of the fire based on the condition of the house and a burst oil tank in the basement. Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched the area for improvised explosive devices, but found none.

Mr. Simmons recommended that Mr. Cheschi be sentenced to 2½ years in the House of Correction with probation to follow. While no one was injured in the fire, Mr. Simmons said Mr. Cheschi's actions placed the safety of police and firefighters at risk.

Mr. Cheschi's lawyer, Adrian Angus, asked the judge to spare his client a jail sentence and place him on probation for two years. Mr. Angus said Mr. Cheschi had been out of custody with GPS monitoring for 15 months without incident. He said his client had been working steadily and seeing a therapist during that time.

While Mr. Simmons asked that Mr. Cheschi be ordered to remain drug- and alcohol-free as a condition of probation, Judge Lemire ordered that any substance-abuse issues be addressed by Arbour Counseling Services.

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