BERKSHIRE, NY — A 34-year-old man has been arrested following a year-long investigation into suspicious structure fires in Tioga County.
Benjamin B. McCluhan, of Nichols, was arrested Jan. 21 by the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office following a grand jury indictment.
McCluhan faces charges including first-degree arson, a class A-1 felony, second-degree conspiracy, a class B felony, four counts of third-degree arson, class C felonies, two counts of third-degree insurance fraud, class D felonies, two counts of third-degree grand larceny, class D felonies, two counts of fourth-degree conspiracy, class E felonies, and multiple misdemeanors.
The misdemeanor charges include four counts of fourth-degree criminal solicitation, second-degree reckless endangerment, five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of making a punishable false written statement.
The charges stem from a 12-month investigation into several suspicious structure fires that occurred in November and December 2024 in the Town of Berkshire.
The investigation was conducted by the Tioga County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, Tioga County Fire Investigation Team, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the New York State Police.
McCluhan was taken into custody Dec. 1, 2025, by the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama as a fugitive from justice and was later transported to New York by the U.S. Marshals Service.
He was arraigned Jan. 22 in Tioga County Court, where bail was set at $30,000 cash, $60,000 bond or $100,000 surety bond.
