Pappas' handy man Marvin had been advising him
for years to fix electrical wiring at 2320 South Eads.
Marvin predicts that electrical sparks and an "arc" may occur inside the walls
going from the back door to the kitchen lights.
Pappas does not make the repairs, and his negligence leads to a fire in
May 25, 1997.
Pappas knowingly withheld this information (and Marvin's existence)
from Fire Investigator Kenneth Kent
Pappas tries to falsely implicate Shaddock, his girl
friend, or his guest, in causing the fire - improbable suspects who would have
much to lose in a fire.
Pappas fraudulently seeks maximum payment from Fire Insurance Company
for repair of his house.
Tenant Shaddock reports Pappas to Insurance Company.
Pappas seeks to invalidate Shaddock's lease and makes false charge
Millionaire Pappas refuses to pay Fire Restoration contractor over
$30,000 for repair of his house completed by construction workers during summer of 1997
Fire Restoration owner has to pay workers himself, experiencing
financial stress.
Pappas receives increase in property
value to his house of over $57,500 without paying for the repairs.
1994 - 1997
 |
Marvin Edmunds Pappas' handy man for
over 15 years, tells Pappas that the electrical wiring near the back porch and in the
kitchen of 2320 South Eads is unsafe. Marvin strongly recommends fixing the wiring
from the back porch to the kitchen. He tells Pappas that it might last only
30-60 days. Marvin reminded Pappas for years. Pappas neglects to make the
repair
Marvin has told the truth on the witness stand in other matters, knowing
it might cost him his job with Pappas, and is the #1 person the Fire
Investigator should have had an opportunity to interview.. |
1997-May-25
Sunday afternoon
 |
Fire at 2320 South Eads, which started near back porch and
kitchen, apparently electrical in origin. |
1997-May-25
5:00 PM
 |
Tenant Rick Shaddock returns home from client (Cascade
Rehabilitation Inc., Purceville VA) to find Fire Department there, his house burned, and
many of his belongings destroyed. Shaddock lost thousands of dollars in personal
items, including his irreplaceable Eagle
Scout badge. |
1997-May-25
 |
Fire Marshall Kenneth Kent closes the house for investigation
as to the cause, and asks Pappas who might know anything about the cause of the
fire. Pappas never tells Kent about Marvin Edmunds's warnings about the wiring, or
even of his existence. Marvin was the man most familiar with the physical structure
of the house and the condition of its electrical wiring. Marshall Kent interviews
all people found to be associated with the property, even Shaddock's girl friend at the
time. |
| 1997-May-26 |
Pappas meets with Shaddock to discuss what to do.
Shaddock has lease good through November 1997. They agreed
rent payments will be suspended until home is repaired. Shaddock can keep his
belongings in the house in the basement which was untouched by the fire. He will naturally
sleep elsewhere, and keep out of the way of construction. They expect it will take
about a month for repair, then rent payments will resume. |
| 1997-Jun-__ |
After completion of his investigation of the premises, Fire
Marshall Kent gives keys back to Rick Shaddock for re-entry into the house. Cause
remains unconfirmed, and the investigation remains open. |
| 1997-June |
Work begins on the house with fire restoration company |
| 1997-Summer |
Shaddock pays for Water Bill
(for bathroom), electricity (for their tools), and some refreshments (including gift
certificates to the nearby SportsPub) so
that Fire Restoration construction workers will make 2320 a priority, and complete the job
as soon as possible. |
| 1997-August |
Shaddock notices that workmen are often not at the house for
days. He began to tell Pappas that it should not take this long for the house to be
repaired, and that if the house is not repaired soon, he will report the delay to the
Insurance company. (Year later he learned that a major reason for the delays was
that the Insurance company and Pappas were disputing over who should pay for the fire
restoration.) |
| 1997-Aug-15 |
In apparent retaliation, Pappas alleges that Shaddock is
unlawfully entering the house, without any evidence of such notice, and contrary to
existence of his active role in the reconstruction, and active lease. |
| 1997-Oct-1 |
Shaddock buy a home in Iowa and moves his belongings out of
the house. Pappas does not return security deposit in the manner promised. |
| 1997-Nov |
Work on the house is completed. House has new kitchen
and looks better than ever. |
| 1997-Nov |
Insurance company stalls on paying Pappas, because Pappas'
innocence of the fault of the fire could not be established. |
| 1997-Nov |
Pappas refuses to pay Remodelling Inc. for over $30,000 in
materials and work performed by their construction workers during the Summer of 1997,
requiring many collection calls. |
| 1998 |
Owner of Fire Reconstruction company had to pay the workers
for months of work out his own pocket. |
| 2001 |
Property value
of 2320 South Eads increased from $188,900 in 1997 to $246,400 - an increase of $57,500
for Pappas, due in large part to the work done by the fire reconstruction company. |
| 2001-Sep-25 |
Pappas found guilty in Arlington
County Small Claims Court of trying to steal security deposits from two young lady
tenants, with the help of the Pappas Tenant Association |
2001
|
Assistant Commonwealth Attorney (apparently unaware of
Pappas' role in the fire, or reputation for invalid utterances) allocates public resources
for Pappas by prosecuting bogus accusations against the founder of the Pappas
Tenant Association, which the jury found him not guilty of. For example, Pappas
alleged that his keys were stolen, when there was ample evidence during the trial that he
had his old keys all the time, and that the locks on his properties were not changed as he
testified under oath.
|
| January 2002 |
At a hearing attended by Shaddock, Marvin, and Deputy Fire
Marshall Kenneth Kent, Shaddock meets Marvin for the first time since 1997, and is
surprised to find out Marvin did not know who Marshall Kent was. Shaddock reports
this to the Fire Marshall's office to help complete the investigation. |
