Arrest Made for Motor-Vehicle Arson

Canterbury, New Hampshire – New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean P. Toomey, Canterbury Police Chief Michael Labrecque and Canterbury Fire Chief Michael Gamache announce that an arrest has been made for a motor-vehicle arson that occurred in Canterbury on Monday, June 20, 2022, around 5:00am. State Fire Marshal Investigators determined that two cars had been set on fire and identified the suspect as Derrick Poirier, age 31, of New Hampton. An arrest warrant was issued for Poirier later that day with charges of Arson and Criminal Threatening, both felonies. Poirier surrendered himself to the New Hampton Police Department on June 22, 2022, and was released on personal recognizance bail. He will be arraigned in Merrimack Superior Court on July 21, 2022.

Fire Marshal Toomey would like to remind our citizens that arson is not a victimless crime, and that any intentionally set fire puts in motion a series of events that significantly jeopardizes both the public and our First Responders’ safety. Nationwide, intentional set fires cause over 400 deaths, 950 injuries, and $815 million dollars in direct property damage annually.(Source: NFPA, September 2021, Intentional Structure Fires)

This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Investigator Stephen Dennis or District Chief Anthony Booth at (603) 223-4289 or by email at fmo@dos.nh.gov.

No further information is available at this time.