Local Man Charged With Arson in S St. House Fire
By • December 31, 2020 0 7104
An S Street NW residence was vandalized and set ablaze during the middle of the day on Monday, Dec. 28. Owners Dale and Melissa Overmyer and their children were not at home. Caught on video, a local man, Samuel Kalinski, 26, was apprehended at the scene and charged with arson on Dec. 29.
Firefighters had the fire under control within half an hour of their arrival, shortly after 1 p.m., at the house, which is in the 3200 block, just east of Wisconsin Avenue. DC Fire and EMS investigators recognized Kalinski from nearby security camera footage, which showed him jumping over a fence, kicking open the back door and repeatedly entering and taking things from the home. They pursued him when he ran.
The motive for the vandalism, which involved igniting charcoal briquettes with flammable liquid in several rooms and other destruction on the property, is unknown.
The damage to the six-bedroom house at 3264 S St. NW, valued at over $3 million, was estimated by police to be $1 million, according to the Washington Post. A hearing was set for Jan. 21. Kalinski, whose has a Glover Park address, was arrested earlier this month in Fairfax County, Virginia, for assault, the Post reported.
“We are extremely grateful for the prayers of everyone in the neighborhood during this difficult situation,” Dale Overmyer, principal of Overmyer Architects, told NBC4. His firm, located at 3213 P St. NW, has carried out renovations on many Georgetown residences. Melissa Overmyer is the founder of Something Greater Ministries and the Georgetown Women’s Bible Study. They have four daughters.
