Wilmington Man Charged In Dewey Beach’s Lighthouse & Rehoboth Beach’s Aqua Arson Fires
A Wilmington, Delaware man is being charged for the Lighthouse arson that occurred last summer in Dewey Beach, Delaware. On June 17, 2021, Delaware Deputy Fire Marshals obtained warrants for Richard B. Lodeski for the charges of Arson Second Degree and Criminal Trespassing. The Wilmington man is now incarcerated in the State of Maryland for Arson related crimes.
The Lighthouse was located at the Lighthouse Restaurant on Dickinson Ave in Dewey Beach. The Lighthouse was removed during renovations. The arson took place during those renovations.
The first arson occurred on April 23, 2020 at the Dickinson Avenue block in Dewey Beach. The Lighthouse Restaurant property structure and boardwalk surrounding the construction was set to flames. Investigators looked into the fire’s origin and cause and was determined to be an act of arson. Then a second incident occurred on June 3, 2020, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Another property, Aqua, was also set to flames and determined by investigation teams that this too, was arson.
Delaware State Fire Marshals worked with Maryland State Fire Marshals, along with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Delaware State Police and Dewey Beach Police identified Richard B. Lodeski of Wilmington, Delaware being responsible for arson. Lodeski is currently incarcerated in the State of Maryland for Arson related crimes. Lodeski was also found to be connected with other crimes, including other acts of arson in the Baltimore area, as well as burglary in Ocean City.
