There's nothing worse than a fire.  This is especially true when it happens to good people and worse yet when it happens to someone who worked his entire life only to lose everything in one night.
     On Friday, 2/17/2006 we were awaked by rapid pounding on our front door.  Beth answered it and was met by our next door neighbor, Darr, who was yelling that his house was on fire.  It had started on his back porch and when Beth woke me up I raced downstairs to the library where I could see that it was totally consumed in bright orange flames, the heat of which was coming right through the glass farm windows of the green room.  We all got dressed and went outside into a very cold night. The fire department showed up and took care of the fire, but the porch was lost.  The Darr's kitchen was also severely burned and the Darr family had to leave their home because of smoke damage.  Thank goodness the Red Cross works with the local fire departments.
     People tend to try to guess what happened and I was no different.  Since Loretta Darr isn't in good health I supposed that Darr had an ash can out back and had left a smoldering cigarette burning.  Not so.  Fire dogs were brought in and we heard that they went straight to the source. Fire dogs are trained to detect accelerants, so the case was now being treated as arson.  
     On Monday morning at 3:00 A.M. we were once again awakened by pounding on our door.  Our neighbor, Tommy Jacobs from the house across the street was yelling, "Darr's house is on fire again!"  This time it was the furnished enclosed front porch and it was a lot worse.  We went outside and watched as the fire began to spread throughout the house.  It was 17 degrees outside and so as the fire departments showed up the water from their hoses began freezing as soon as it hit the ground.  We counted about twelve fire departments in all, so there was a lot of water and we live on a very steep hill.
     At around 4:30 A.M. the fire was peaking in intensity and the hoses suddenly went limp.  It turned out that Brunswick's water plant happened to be doing some maintenance work on that particular night and so the water had been cut off.  It was also at about that time that Our Victorian began heating up and the shingles began to melt down the side.  The water was quickly rerouted from the big tower and so the fire department hosed down our house causing a giant cloud of steam to fill the sky.  It was about that time that I literally got sick to my stomach.  All I had been thinking was, "That's it.  It's over.  Everything is gone."
    The fire destroyed all but the house's wall facing ours and a few supporting walls inside to hold it up.  The roof was opened up and remained only near the edges.  Everything inside was gone.
     The Fire Marshall interviewed everyone on the street and asked a lot of questions about Darr's 35 year-old son, Wayne, who suffers from various mental illnesses including (according to Wayne himself) bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.  Wayne has a long history of trouble and has been in and out of prison as well as a few short stints in mental wards, the latter information idle gossip from neighbors but it's possible.  While watching the blaze, Tommy mentioned that he had seen Wayne standing at their front gate having a long, animated and violent argument with someone only Wayne could apparently see.  This was said to be only two nights before the first fire.  I myself saw no such thing.
     The gossip (careful with that word)  theory was that Darr and Wayne had probably had a big fight, and Wayne had come back on Friday night and set the back porch fire.  This began sounding fairly logical after the fire dogs smelled the accelerant, but who really knows?  It could have been an electrical fire and something stored on the porch blew up and spread.
     According to one of the insurance investigators, Wayne was found in a Frederick hotel room and questioned at 10:00 P.M. on Saturday night.  No arrest was made so he was out and about.  That doesn't mean he did anything, however it means he could have.  It also implies 3 billion other people could have done it, too.
      It was a different story on Tuesday morning.  At about 11:00 A.M. we made some calls and were informed that Wayne had been arrested and was being questioned, but that the investigation was being handled very carefully before formal charges might be made. We had been ordered to leave our home because it was feared that the remains of the Darr home might fall on ours.  The Red Cross put us up in a hotel room in Frederick, where we were finally able to get some sleep.   We awoke at 6:00 P.M. and I made some more calls to see if I could get any more details regarding the investigation.  I finally ended up speaking to an officer at the Frederick Holding Cell and was informed that Wayne was awaiting a bond hearing.   I decided that this wasn't a good enough course of action to make me feel comfortable in any way, shape or form, so we drove down to my mother's house and retrieved my .38 pistol.  I'd decided to exercise my constitutional right to protect my home and I stayed in our home while Beth and Christina stayed at the hotel.  It was kind of creepy, but not intolerably so.  
     At 12:30 A.M. on Wednesday morning, Wayne Darr was charged with only second degree assault and then released without bail on his own recognizance.  Our guess is that the assault charge was for resisting arrest.
     This is being written on Thursday night at 9:00 P.M..  Beth and I are in the house while Christina is staying at a friend's home as it might be considered child endangerment to have her here.  The investigations from the Fire Marshall, a fire origination expert and Darr's insurance agent have all ended.  I've spent hours trying to find out when the remains will be razed and can't get an answer from anyone, so here we sit: Watching TV with a fully loaded .38 near by.  I feel terrible for the Darr family, however I've already reasoned that if Wayne shows up and illegally enters our home I will have to shoot him in self defense.  Every day, Wayne spent hours  lifting weights in his back yard  There is an investigation still going on and I've heard the charge will be 1st Degree Attempted Murder if they conclude that it was indeed Wayne.  I just hope that if it is him he gets put away for decades to come where he can't hurt anyone and gets the help he needs.
     The one thing that I've found absolutely unnerving is the constant smell of burnt wood in our home.  You wouldn't think it's a big deal, but it isn't little sniffs here and there.  It's a thick, constant undertone that serves as a  reminder of seeing the Darr family's entire legacy vanish in just a few short hours.  No more photo albums.  No baby pictures.  No family heirlooms.  It's all gone.  A man shouldn't have to work his entire life and then lose almost everything all at once.

2/25/2006 8:53 A.M.
     Yesterday, I was speaking with the Hartford claims adjuster who is handling the Darr case and he informed me that an arrest had been made.  Wayne Darr was found hanging around at our local Sheetz station (a Shell gasoline station and convenience store).  He was arrested without incident and taken into custody where he was formally charged with 3 counts of 1st degree arson, three counts of second degree arson and some lesser charges, all of which add up to about 70 years of potential prison time.
     Christina spoke with Darr's nephew.  He said they aren't rebuilding, so we'll probably talk to Darr about buying the land.  It will save him a lot of expenses in real estate commissions.
     While everyone is glad that Wayne is off the streets and is being held where he can't hurt anyone, I still feel a deep sadness for his father.  He worked his entire life and did his best to care for a son he must have known had deep problems only to end up like this.  No one faults Donald Darr.  He's a good man.  I don't think anyone really hopes Wayne ends up in prison, but it would be comforting to know he could be put away somewhere safe for his own good and the good of all.  A psychiatric facility would be my personal choice, however it would have to be high security and hopefully for many years to come, perhaps decades.
     My views reflect hardcore Republicanism when it comes to punishment and Wayne very possibly did something that indicates he wanted to kill three people.  He did it at a time when he knew they would be asleep and no one would see him come and go.  If guilty, he would have to have thought out the crime in advance and then executed it with cunning and malice.  
      Some people have a mechanism in them that doesn't allow them to acknowledge that they are responsible for their actions.  They become unattached to social norms and become sociopaths where they can still reason that what they are doing is unacceptable, but that they have to perform as they see fit to mold the world to their needs.  This supercedes the weight of the law and they take action.  If Wayne did it, I think this is what happened on those nights.  Something may have set him off and he acted as he saw fit, plain and simple.
     As their neighbors, our view is that it was irresponsible for Wayne's parents to harbor him for all those years knowing how dangerous he is.  As a youth, he skipped school a lot.  Neighbors have told us (keep in mind, this part is hearsay) that Wayne spent time in and out of prison since he was 14.  He was raped and "never the same" following one particular period of incarceration.  We've been told that on several occasions he beat his own mother so badly she had to be hospitalized, and beat up his own father a few times, too.
     My own experiences with Wayne were limited.  When we moved in I thought he was a little strange, but he seemed okay and very happy.  I paid him to do odd jobs for me a couple of times but had to stop this practice when he tried to rip me off every time.
    One time was a simple job of mowing my yard.  I agreed to pay him $35 and fronted him $20, which he said he needed for food.  He brought in a buddy to help him out and when they finished he wanted not only the full $35, he had apparently told his pal that he'd be getting $35, too.  He looked confused when I gave him $15 and sent him on his way.
     The second time was when an employer of mine needed his rental property's grass cut.  It was about 10" high, so I asked Wayne if he wanted the job for $25 and Wayne took it.  He later told me the work was completed and that the grass had been two feet tall so he cut it down to about 10".  I suppose he thought I was dumb enough to believe it, but since it was a ridiculous story I had him return to the yard and do the work he had been paid to do.  I saw his lie as something a five year-old might have made up and decided never to hire him to do any work again.
     I only had one other real conversation with him.  It regarded fishing in the Potomac River and where I might find a good spot.  Wayne suggested we go together and that I buy all the bait as well as a twelve pack of beer for him.  I didn't think it was a great suggestion and said that maybe someday I'd find the time to take him up on it.  
     Other than that, Wayne was just a troubled guy who religiously worked out with weights in his back yard while listening to heavy metal on the radio.  He was out there almost every day, even in the freezing cold.  He was built like a rock and I once suggested that he might consider competitive muscle building.
      I can understand his father trying to shelter him.  Parents don't see monsters when they look at their children because they don't want to see monsters.  They want to see the little baby who was born and made their lives happy.  They see the 7 year-old child who drew pictures for them.  How horrible it must be for parents to have to acknowledge that somewhere along the way that same little kid left their lives and was replaced by someone who nearly killed them and endangered the lives of others*.
    I'll be dropping off a card at the hotel where Wayne's family is staying.  I want to let them know that I don't feel anything but sadness for what they're going through, but make no mistake:  If he's guilty, I hope they put Wayne away for life. In fact, no matter who did it, I hope they get life.

2/28/2006
     I just called the Frederick Holding Facility to make sure Wayne is still being held.  The officer in charge looked up his case file and assured me that he is and without bond.  He also let me know that since Wayne has confessed he'll more than likely be there at least until his trial date.  At this point in time he is facing a total of 105 years in prison.

9/12/2006
    We have been subpoenaed to appear in court and testify in Wayne's court case.  The guy who delivered the paperwork seemed to have it clearly framed out in his mind that Wayne is indeed guilty and needs to be kept locked up.  He represented the State of Maryland's District Court Office. He said that the Darr's are refusing to testify against Wayne, something I look upon as both strange and understandable.  By not testifying against him they are most assuredly going to lose their property and take a total loss.  At least they might stand a chance with their insurance company if it appeared that they were victims, but if Wayne is found guilty there's always the chance that they might look like willing participants in protecting an arsonist.
     Maybe they're afraid of what he might do to them if he gets off on a technicality.  Or maybe it's just some sort of honor code these hill people live by.  Or maybe they truly believe he didn't do it at all?  It's very possible and Wayne is certainly innocent until proven otherwise.  I know that's where I stand.  It's not my place to judge others.
    The truly confusing part of this whole mess is why Beth and I are being called in at all.  We didn't see or hear anything the entire neighborhood didn't see on those nights and we certainly don't know Wayne or his family better than the other people in town.  I have no intention of saying anything other than the pure truth and have no agenda.  If Wayne isn't found guilty then he's not guilty and that's that.

9/22/2006
    We received a call from the State's Attorney's office.  The court case has been dropped for the time being under the premise that Wayne is not mentally fit to stand trial.

2/10/2007
    We received another summons to appear in court, something we find utterly preposterous.  We can only see where our presence will hurt their case. example:
   Q:  "Have you ever see Mr. Darr acting in a violent manner.?"
   A:  "Absolutely not."
   Q:  "Have you ever seen Mr. Darr acting strangely?"
   A:  "It's already on record that he's a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic.  In that light, no, he has always been well behaved."
   Q:  "Do you feel Mr. Darr started the fire?"
   A:  "Based on my religious principles I can not answer that question."
   Q:  "Rephrase: Would you be surprised if he were to be found guilty in this court?"
   A:  "I would feel sad for his family, but since he is a diagnosed schizophrenic and knows how to use matches I would be no more surprised than anyone else who knows any of the history of this case."
   You see what I'm saying?  This is not going to help their case one bit.  I saw nothing and this web page is just a pile of pictures, articles easily taken from local newspapers, and opinions.  All this will do is force us to lose money from lost wages, money we certainly can not afford to lose.

* This is not to imply Wayne did anything illegal, only that he is being charged.