By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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A man accused of setting fire to large hay bales showing support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had also burned his neighbors' front lawn sign endorsing the Democratic presidential ticket, according to reports.
Lonnie Durfee, 49, was arraigned on Tuesday in the Central Berkshire District Court in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, with one count of burning personal property in connection to the large fire at the Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton on October 10.
Police and the fire department were called to the farm after the large hay bales with "USA Biden-Harris 2020" painted on them were allegedly ignited on purpose.
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"I didn't take long," Dicken Crane, the farm's owner, wrote on Facebook while sharing an image of the fire. "It's actually hard to believe anyone who says they love this country would do this."
The Boston Globereports that a not-guilty plea was entered on Durfee's behalf and is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing sought by Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington's office, which is scheduled for Friday.
"This is a sad reflection of the vast polarization in our country and in the Berkshires," Harrington said.
"We believe Mr. Durfee destroyed personal property because he disagreed with the property owner's political views. Our community will not accept those types of actions under any circumstances.
"We will hold Mr. Durfee accountable and I hope the community uses this incident as a rallying cry to reject fervent divisiveness and hate."
The hay bales were set on fire a matter hours after they were first installed on the farm.
The Trump banners were getting under my skin.....
I didn’t take long .... It’s actually hard to believe anyone who says they love this country would do this
According to a police report filed in the court, officers spoke to Durfee around two hours after the fire was reported as he sat outside his parents' home in Home Terrace.
When officers arrived at the scene, a Biden sign on a neighbor's front lawn had also been set on fire and an American flag placed over the charred remains.
Durfee admitted to setting fire to the hay bales and his neighbor's sign. Dalton Police said he had been "drinking heavily" that night and was "distraught" over the recent death of his 24-year-old son in a motorcycle crash in New Jersey.
Durfee is a President Donald Trump supporter who is "frustrated with the Democratic and political left agenda and believes they are ruining the country," police said.
Durfee is alleged to have spoken of his plans to burn a Biden/Harris sign down at a local bar and was also spotted by an off-duty police officer driving away from a service station after filling up two gas tanks, one of which fell out the back of his truck.
Police said several weeks before the fire, Durfee had gotten into an argument about Trump at a dinner party in which the host banned politics talk.
"Lonnie is a vocal supporter of President Trump and proceeded to make a huge scene during the dinner related to politics," a neighbor told police. One of the hosts is reported to have then "got into a confrontation with Lonnie and asked him to leave."
Harrington's office has been contacted for further comment.
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