Man Charged with Arson After Setting Trash Pile on Fire Near Downtown State College Apartment Building, Police Say

A State College man is facing charges including arson for twice setting a pile of trash on fire near a downtown apartment building early Monday morning, according to borough police.

Benjamin R. Hamby, 41, set fire to part of a large refuse pile near a dumpster outside the building in the area of East Calder Way and Sowers Street at about 4:45 a.m., a State College police officer wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. A borough public works employee witnessed the incident and extinguished the fire with a hose from a street sweeper.

The public works employee told police that when he returned to the area he observed Hamby lighting two more segments of the trash pile on fire. The employee tried to douse the fire again but was unable to fully extinguish it because of foam in the pile, and Alpha Fire Company was called to the scene, police wrote.

Responding officers located Hamby, who matched the description provided, walking on Calder Way and the public works employee identified him as the person who set the fires, according to the affidavit.

Hamby is charged with two felony counts each of arson recklessly endangering an inhabited building and risking catastrophe, as well as two summary offenses each of dangerous burning and criminal mischief.

He was arraigned on Monday morning by District Judge Don Hahn, who set bail at 1% of $80,000. Hamby was unable to post bail and was taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 24.

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