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A Oneida County Sheriff's Deputy, Aaron Alshaman, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of arson and attempted murder. The 29-year-old deputy allegedly set a house on fire on Kellogg Avenue in Utica while on duty on April 9. Inside the home were his child, the child's mother, and the child's grandparents, all of whom escaped unharmed.
According to UticaOD.com, surveillance footage captured a figure igniting the fire and fleeing the scene with a gas can. Alshaman's patrol vehicle was found parked nearby during the incident, and it left the area shortly after the fire began. Electronic evidence, including cell phone data and surveillance footage, further implicated him in the crime.
Alshaman has been charged with second-degree arson and four counts of second-degree attempted murder. He was taken into custody and arraigned at Oneida County Court, where bail was set at $250,000 cash or a $500,000 bond. The deputy has been suspended without pay, and the termination process is underway.
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol expressed his shock and disappointment over the charges, stating, "Such heinous conduct, while on duty, is in complete violation of the values we uphold and is a blatant betrayal of his Oath of Office." Maciol assured full cooperation with the ongoing investigation by the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office and the Utica Police Department.