A Tupelo man now faces multiple felony charges in connection with the October arson at Dorman Hall.Bradley Joseph Tahtinen, 36, was indicted by an Oktibbeha County Circuit Court grand jury on charges of burglary of a commercial building, felony, malicious mischief and second-degree arson.
Tahtinen will appear in Circuit Court May 2 to enter a plea. Mississippi State University professor and attorney Pearson Lidell was appointed to represent Tahtinen, who is free on a $35,000 bond.
On Oct. 11, 2006, about 10 p.m., a fire in the basement of Dorman Hall burned a large section of storage area before setting off smoke and fire alarms.
Several faculty members were working in the building at the time of the fire and were able to escape the building unharmed.
Police officers and firefighters quickly responded to the alarms, and the fire was completely extinguished before 10:30 p.m.
Tahtinen was visiting campus on Oct. 11 for a Shinedown concert at the MSU Amphitheater. During the concert, MSU police removed Tahtinen for drunken and disorderly behavior.
According to several witness accounts, a man was seen walking directly towards Dorman Hall and forcing his way in through a service entrance on the south side of the building. The man allegedly used a fire extinguisher to bust out doors and shatter glass in the basement, which apparently led to the suspect receiving severe lacerations on his right arm.
The suspect then allegedly piled papers in a corner section of the basement and lit a match.
MSU police and fire officials later suspected arson because no heat source in the basement could accidentally cause such a fire.
“Our investigation led us to witnesses who could identify the suspect, and the MSU Police Department worked with several other agencies in the area to find and arrest him,” said MSU Police Detective Donald Bartlett, who is assigned to the case.
Tahtinen was arrested Oct. 16 at his girlfriend’s house in Tupelo.
Bartlett is confident that Tahtinen will be found guilty on all charges. “The evidence clearly demonstrates that the suspect was ejected from the concert, entered the building and committed the offenses for which he was charged,” he said. “If the fire and smoke alarms had not worked properly, the fire could have very easily been disastrous to MSU property and faculty.”
No clear motive for the arson has been established, but MSU police say alcohol was a factor.
“It is always unfortunate to have this kind of thing happen, MSU Police were successful in working with Tupelo authorities in order to swiftly apprehend the suspect. He has been indicted, and he will face trial for what he has done,” MSU dean of students Mike White said.
Built in the Dorman Hall currently houses the biochemistry, molecular biology and plant and soil sciences departments.