7-26-2006 New York:
.Det. Sgt. John Cooney, the department spokesman, said Dennis Duboy was in his 663 Second Ave. home when a passerby started beating on his front door. At first, Cooney said, Duboy thought he was being robbed, but then realized his house was on fire. Duboy arrested on June 28 for hosting beer and cigarette parties in his home for teenagers. His address was made public as was the fact that in 1985 he was convicted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy and possessing child pornography. He served 14 years in prison until his release in 2000. The passerby, who preferred to remain anonymous, said a man he described as "the best dart player in Lansingburgh," came running into Joey's Tavern, screaming that someone call 911 because the house across the street was on fire.
The passerby went around the back of 663 Second Ave. and first tried to knock on the burning door. After hearing no response, he kicked it in, waking Duboy whom he said appeared to be sleeping on the couch. Duboy put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Cooney said the fire pattern is in line with use of an accelerant. The passerby, a longtime Lansingburgh resident, said he was disappointed when he learned that his actions may have saved a convicted pedophile. "I was telling my buddy about it and I was feeling pretty bad about what I did but he pointed to the size of the apartment building and said, 'look at all those other people who you saved too,'" said the passerby. He and another man at Joey's said they feel "Lansingburgh has become a dumping ground for pedophiles."
Amy Leduc, a mother of a 7-year-old boy who lives in the same building as Duboy, said she is equally concerned that, unbeknownst to her, a level three sex offender was living so close. "It's scary. We had no idea who he was," said LeDuc. Cooney said Duboy recently complained of being harassed by his neighbors and recently reported a break in. The investigation is now focusing on whether the arson was related to his status as a level three sex offender. It got so bad, Cooney said, Duboy had already planned on moving out of the neighborhood. "The purpose of the registry is to create a safety net for the children and this could be an abuse of having access to that information," he said.
"He did his time and has not been a problem for us except for his recent arrest." According to Cooney, Duboy, 55, was luring youths into his apartment with the promise of beer. On one occasion, they were simply walking by his apartment and he invited them in. He was charged with four counts of unlawfully dealing with a child and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors. There is no indication sexual abuse occurred, police said. ..more.. : by James V. Franco, The Record
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Vigilante motive suspected in arson
7-26-2006 New York:
.TROY -- Police are investigating what they suspect could be a vigilante-style arson at the home of a registered sex offender. Dennis Duboy, 55, realized the frames of his front doorway and window were on fire Monday night when a passer-by alerted him around 10 p.m., police said.
He managed to put out the fire with an extinguisher in the house, avoiding a blaze that could have engulfed the multifamily building on Second Avenue, police said. Now investigators are speculating that the fire may be related to Duboy's status as a Level 3 or "high risk" sex offender. That status became widely known in the community after Duboy was arrested last month on unrelated charges of supplying alcohol and tobacco to children, said Troy Police Detective Sgt. John Cooney.
Police say Duboy held two gatherings where he served booze and cigarettes to at least six different young people, five of them under age 16. Police found no evidence of sexual interaction between Duboy and the children. Police have assigned an arson investigator to probe Monday's fire. It was declared an arson after investigators discovered an accelerant had been sprayed around the door and window. "It's reasonable and logical to assume it's based on his Level 3 status," Cooney said of the fire.
He added, "We recognize that Mr. Duboy is a registered sex offender, but in this case he is a very legitimate victim." ..more.. : by MARC PARRY, Staff writer
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