Fire at Dart Manufacturing Leads to Arrest

CAROLINE COUNTY - April 6, 2020 - Investigators from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office were alerted to an incident that occurred at Dart Manufacturing Facility on 1000 Industrial Park Drive in Federalsburg on March 31st around 2 am. The investigation revealed an employee at the facility intentionally set a fire in a confined space above the ceiling of the office area, while the building was occupied and operating. The employee responsible for setting the fire was identified as Joshua Vallejo (37), who had been employed at the facility for about two years. He was subsequently charged with Arson First Degree, Malicious Burning First Degree, Malicious Destruction of Property and Reckless Endangerment. Vallejo was arrested today and is currently being held without bond at Caroline County Detention Center.

The fire caused approximately $1,000 in damages at the facility. No fire department personnel were requested at the time of the fire, and the fire was extinguished by employees of Dart. The Caroline County Sheriff's Office and Federalsburg Police Department assisted in the investigation and arrest.