CONCORD, NH — A local homeless man arrested on dozens of other prior charges during the past 13 years has been arrested on arson and other charges, accused of setting a fire in a dumpster near the Durgin Block Parking Garage in early June.
Around 10 a.m. on June 6, a detective sergeant was assigned to investigate the fire in one of seven Casella Waste Systems dumpsters between North State and Warren streets. Along with the dumpsters, trees also appeared to be burned. The reporting detective noted the dumpsters abutted a playground and occupied buildings, including apartments and retail locations.
The detective said security cameras were in the area and began reviewing footage. A suspect, a man, riding a bicycle, came into view of the cameras via North State Street. The man stopped and examined the dumpsters for a short period. He then rode his bike toward the dumpsters and continued to examine them. The man approached the dumpster and “began to manipulate objects inside,” a report said.
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The video appeared to skip a short period of time — likely due to the camera being motion-activated. The man was then seen on the side of the dumpster, partially out of view, but as the camera began to record, “a red gasoline canister was now located in front of the dumpster.”
The report said a second gas canister was seen between two dumpsters. One appeared to have been removed from the dumpster by the suspect.
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The suspect was described as “light-skinned,” with his hair in a bun, and scruffy facial hair. He was wearing black pants, black and white sneakers, and carrying a black and red drawstring backpack.
At around 6:30 p.m., the suspect lifted one of the canisters and poured the contents into the dumpster, the report stated. The report said the suspect was seen walking backward with the canister and then appeared to grab another canister near the bicycle. The detective wrote the suspect picked up a second canister, shook both of them, and then placed them on the ground. After manipulating some of the contents in the dumpster again, smoke began to appear from one of the dumpsters, the detective said.
“The subject quickly got onto his bicycle, looked back at the dumpster, and fled the area toward North Main Street,” the detective wrote. “The fire continued to smolder and continued to grow inside, eventually engulfing the dumpster in flames.
Firefighters arrived later to extinguish the fire and the city’s fire marshal was also assigned to investigate the fire.
After circulating a photo of the suspect, the reporting detective wrote that it “appeared” to be Jesse DeFlorio, 32, a homeless man now located in Concord. The detective noted he had “significant police contacts” in the Downtown Concord area. The detective stated they believed that the fire “posed a threat to the occupied structures in the vicinity of the dumpsters. Sometimes, too, the detective wrote, gasoline could also transfer to clothing and it was common that matches or a light could ignite gasoline.
Around 4:15 p.m. on June 6, a dispatcher saw DeFlorio near the carousel in front of Market Basket at 80 Storrs Street. An officer was sent to the area and arrested DeFlorio on another active warrant. The reporting detective noted he was wearing the same sneakers as the man in the surveillance video. They described DeFlorio as “unkempt” with “a large amount of dirt and grime on his hands and face.” The detective stated, “This led me to believe that DeFlorio may not have cleansed himself since the arson incident the day prior.”
At the time of the warrant arrest, DeFlorio was accused of possessing a butane lighter, black pair of pants, and a wallet containing cards with his name where he was sitting outside the store. When questioned, he said he did nothing wrong and did not want to speak to the detective, an affidavit said.
A search warrant was requested and approved, seizing his sneakers, swabbing his hands, fingerprints, and wipes were used to gather evidence.
The next day, the detective spoke with a Casella business manager who estimated the damage to be around $1,200.
The report stated the fire marshal from a Warren Street business obtained more video footage. The footage confirmed all of the other activities recorded by the first surveillance video.
A warrant was issued for DeFlorio’s arrest on July 5 for arson, reckless conduct-deadly weapon, and criminal mischief charges, all felonies. He was arrested at 10:47 a.m. on Aug. 8 on the charges as well as another warrant connected to an incident or investigation on Constitution Avenue.
News 603 posted a video of the fire on Facebook back in June.
According to superior court records and reports on Patch, DeFlorio is no stranger to police.
After a driving violation and other minor issues in 2011 and 2012, he was arrested in June 2013 on obstructing report of a crime or injury, criminal mischief, and default or breach of bail conditions after an incident on Garvins Falls Road. Deflorio was accused of assaulting a woman and obstructing her ability to report the crime in Concord in June 2014. A few months later, in September 2014, he was accused of firing a BB gun at police in Concord.
DeFlorio appears to have become a felon after pleading guilty to a reckless conduct-deadly weapon charge out of Boscawen in September 2018 after being charged with two counts. He was given a 12-month sentence suspended for three years with two years probation. He was accused of violating probation and also given a competency evaluation. DeFlorio was convicted of a violation of probation or parole charge in February 2021 and released after 142 days in jail.
DeFlorio was arrested on a willful concealment charge on Old Turnpike Road in Salisbury in December 2018. In February 2019, he was arrested on a theft charge after an incident at Walmart on Loudon Road.
In May 2020, he was charged with six counts of controlled drug: acts prohibited charges, as well as resisting arrest or detention and disorderly conduct.
DeFlorio was also charged with felon in possession of a dangerous weapon in Salem in November 2019, but the charge was ultimately dropped in February 2020. He pleaded guilty to two of the drug counts and received a one to three years sentence, suspended for three years, and a $434 fine, suspended for two years, for one count, and 12 months on the second count with 142 days of time served and 223 days suspended for three years, as well as a $434 fine, suspended for two years. The rest of the charges were dropped. In September 2021, he pleaded guilty to violating probation and was released after 12 days in jail.
DeFlorio was also indicted on second-degree assault and weapon possession charges, accused of cutting a woman with a knife in Concord in October 2020. In April 2021, he was arrested on stalking, breach of bail, assault, and domestic violence charges after an incident on Portsmouth Street.
Two more acts prohibited cases were issued against him out of Concord in July 2022. The charges were dropped four months later.
In January, he was arrested on criminal trespass charges after incidents at the CVS on Hall Street. In June, he was arrested on a theft charge after an incident at the Hannaford supermarket.
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