Police charge man with port-a-potty arson

By Dave Gong

A Cortland man has been charged with arson for allegedly setting a port-a-potty on fire.

According to court documents, Circuit Judge Robbin Stuckert set bond at $350,000 for Richard J. Fioretto, 34, who is also suspected to be connected with several other suspicious fires in Cortland.

“We had some surveillance video that added information that led to his arrest,” said DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott.

Scott said Fioretto has been a person of interest in other arson cases for a number of months, and surveillance cameras had been installed to monitor Fioretto’s residence for several weeks.

Scott said Fioretto is suspected to be connected with 11 total fires in Cortland, many of which were within 1,000 feet of Fioretto’s residence.

Court documents state that Cortland Police responded to the 100 block of North Juniper Street in Cortland at 11:57 p.m. on June 29. The port-a-potty was found on fire in a residential driveway.

“These fires were in a residential area of Cortland,” Scott said. “We felt it was important to make an arrest for public safety.”

Court documents state the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office (OSFM) is also involved in the investigation.

Fioretto is scheduled to appear in court July 13.

Messages left at the OSFM were unreturned as of press time.