Man charged with burning girlfriend's car

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·3 min read

Mar. 31—WEST NEWBURY — The local owner of a Revere demolition company narrowly avoided being thrown in jail Tuesday after he was charged with torching his then-girlfriend's $70,000 Audi convertible in June after an argument.

Benjamin Ketschke, 45, of River Meadow Court was summonsed to court in June on charges of burning a motor vehicle, malicious destruction of property more than $1,200 and interfering with a firefighter. On March 16, a Newburyport District Court clerk magistrate ruled there was enough probable cause to arraign Ketschke.

At Ketschke's arraignment Tuesday in District Court, Essex County prosecutor Erin McAndrews filed a motion to find him too dangerous to the former girlfriend or society to be granted bail while awaiting trial.

Ketschke's attorney said it was unfair to find his client dangerous, telling Judge Peter Doyle that Ketschke came to court on his own and there have been no problems between the woman and Ketschke since the incident. The two people, the attorney added, still work together at the Revere business and see each other during the work week.

"They're the best of friends," the attorney said.

Doyle sided with Ketschke's attorney and denied McAndrews' motion. But Doyle ordered that Ketschke not abuse or harass the woman and stay away from her home. He also cannot have any firearms.

Ketschke is due back in court May 5 for a pretrial hearing.

West Newbury firefighters responded to the River Meadow Court residence — where the two lived — shortly after midnight on June 7 and saw the Audi on fire in the driveway. The girlfriend had left the home prior to the fire after a "verbal altercation," state Trooper Kenneth Belben wrote in his report.

Belben works for the state police fire investigation unit in Stow.

As firefighters began to put out the fire, Ketschke tried to take the hose away from them. West Newbury police Officer Manny Terrero was forced to pull Ketschke away and stop him from interfering, according to Belben.

Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters called the fire investigation unit to the home. Police soon learned that Ketschke had bought the car as a gift just a week earlier.

A quick examination of what was left of the convertible showed that a metal gas can had been thrown inside the car. Investigators also found several holes in the car caused by repeated blows with an ax.

Ketschke told police that while lying in a hammock about 200 feet from the Audi, he heard a loud smash. He turned toward the noise and saw the car was "completely engulfed in fire," Belben wrote in his report, adding that Ketschke told police he filmed the fire on his smartphone.

After getting permission to search the property, police found an ax that matched the marks left on the Audi.

Later that day, a state police K-9 examined the car, which had been towed, and detected gasoline in the center console and engine compartment.

About the same time, the girlfriend told police that Ketschke sent her a video of "her Audi fully engulfed in flames. She then called 911 and reported the fire," Belben wrote in his report, adding that Ketschke also sent the woman texts saying her car was burning in their driveway.

At the arraignment Tuesday, Ketschke's attorney said his client "truly regrets" the incident and that it would "never happen again."

Dave Rogers is a staff writer with The Daily News. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008

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