Man arrested in arson at Little League field

Published 5:00 pm Friday, March 23, 2007

A 21-year-old Bainbridge man was arrested Friday in connection with a blaze that destroyed the scorekeeper’s booth at Rotary Field.

The man, whose name was not released, confessed to starting the blaze during questioning by police, Bainbridge Police Officer Bob Day said.

He was booked into the Kitsap County Jail and faces charges of arson and burglary.

Police did not say how the man was identified as a suspect.

The two-story scorekeeper’s booth, which sat behind home plate on the field’s main baseball diamond, was set ablaze early March 4 after being extensively vandalized several nights earlier. While the flames were extinguished by fire crews and the building remained standing, the damage was such that it later had to be razed.

More significant than the building’s destruction was the loss of irreplaceable memorabilia of Bainbridge Island Little League. Years of championship trophies were damaged, as was the banner from the Bainbridge All-Star team’s appearance in the 2001 Little League World Series.

Fund-raising is under way to replace the building, with costs estimated at $65,000.