Say suspect acted strangely, made threats hours before deadly fire
By Ashley Palumbo
Monday, November 16, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Read more: Local, Crime, Hancock Fire, Arson, Murder, Ronald Kemppainen
HOUGHTON -- The Calumet man accused of causing the apartment fire that killed four people in Hancock this summer was back in Houghton County District Court Monday for a preliminary exam.
The judge listened to hours of testimony from five witnesses before deciding there was enough evidence to send the case to circuit court.
One by one the witnesses shared their memories from the night of July 24 leading up to the events of the early hours on July 25. All three witnesses had spent time in the basement apartment at 116 Quincy Street, which was located across from the laundry room where the fire is believed to have started.
They each identified 47-year-old Ronald Kemppainen as the man they had seen and heard fighting with another tenant, making statements about the building burning down and entering the laundry room just minutes before the flames broke out.
"We heard arguing upstairs, a vacuum got thrown downstairs, there was banging and he said the building was going to burn in three days," said witness Jason Gain.
Another witness, Chad Monticello, corroborated Gain’s story.
"We didn't want to be his friend and hit his bottle or find him a joint, and then he starts saying he hates this place, and it was going to burn," said Monticello.
After those witnesses spoke, the court heard from Hancock Police Officer Robert Stites, who was first on the scene.
"I crawled maybe 12 feet–I couldn't breathe and couldn't see,” said Stites. “I could hear a guy yelling for help, but I couldn't get to him."
State Police Fire Investigator Jeffery Hubbard also shared his experience and explained how he came to determine that the fire was arson.
"You go from the highest damage to lowest damage, from least damage to most damage, and using these rules brought me back to the center of the building, specifically the laundry room," said Hubbard.
Now the case heads to circuit court where Kemppainen will enter a plea to the five felony counts–one for arson and four for murder.
That arraignment will take place on November 23.
