In an unfolding story that merges the specter of arson with the grim realities of illegal arms and drugs, Holyoke authorities announced the arrest of two individuals linked to a fire that broke out earlier this month. As reported by the Holyoke Police Department's social media post, detectives, alongside a consortium of law enforcement agencies, executed arrest and search warrants against Naysha Dones and Anthony Ortiz-Correa yesterday.
Following a fire that engulfed a residence at 268 Pine Street on the morning of November 4, investigators determined the blaze had been set intentionally. The collaborative unit, including Holyoke Police Detectives and the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit, pinned down the two suspects, Dones and Ortiz-Correa, who, while staying at a hotel in West Springfield, were harboring heavy suspicions of arson.
Upon their Monday morning approach to the suspects' hotel room door, officials were able to arrest both Dones and Ortiz-Correa without reported incident. A subsequent search of the room yielded not only a "Ghost Gun," a type of unserialized firearm which challenges the efficacy of gun control efforts, but also a significant quantity of suspected cocaine, totaling approximately 105.5 grams.
The breadth of charges stacked against 42-year-old Dones and 39-year-old Ortiz-Correa range from arson, attempted murder, to drug trafficking. Found improperly storing a large-capacity firearm, and in possession of a firearm and ammunition without requisite licenses, their arrest paints a troubling tableau of crime merging with the underground arms trade. A loaded firearm was conveniently discovered during the commission of a felony, ratcheting up the gravity of their purported offenses.
