The man who was arrested on attempted arson charges to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield was arraigned in court on Tuesday.

According to a story reported on by WWLP/22 News, Dushko Vulchev appeared in Springfield District Court via Zoom call. His attorney put in a not guilty plea. His bail was set at $25,000 and his next court hearing will be on February 5th.

James Forsyth, Assistant Hampden District Attorney, said during the Tuesday hearing, “Based on the description of the car, the plates, which there are other incidents where they were able to identify the plates on the vehicle as well as certain markings on the vehicle to determine that Mr. Vulchev is responsible for at least these incidents."

Vulchev’s crime spree allegedly started on December 13th with a first attempt to burn the church. Then on December 14th, alleged malicious damage to two luxury cars in Springfield.

The next day two alleged arson attempts at the church. Almost two weeks later, another alleged attack on a car in Springfield.

He was arraigned on the following charges:

  • 4 counts of vehicle damage
  • 3 counts of attempted arson (Dec. 13 & 15)

Vulchev’s only connection to Massachusetts is a former girlfriend in the Pittsfield area whose parents have a restraining order on him.

The Pittsfield Police department arrested Dushko Vulchev of Houlton, Maine on Friday. According to Department of Fire Services spokeswoman Jennifer Mieth, Vulchev is charged with several counts of malicious damage and three counts of attempted arson previous to the Monday, December 28th church fire.

Vulchev has not been charged with the arson attempt of the fire on December 28th yet as the cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was hurt in those attempts and no injuries were reported in the early morning fire on Monday, December 28, 2020.

For much more on the story, please visit WWLP/22 News' website here.

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