FARMINGTON – A Wilton man whose Route 156 house burned Friday pleaded not guilty to possessing cocaine and violating conditions of release Monday in 12th District Court.
Judge John McElwee set bail for Richard Austin, 44, after his arraignment on both charges at $250 cash bail or a $5,000 piece of real estate.
Police had charged Richard Austin, 44, with violating conditions of release for allegedly being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs after he arrived at the scene of the fire early Friday.
Farmington police had arrested Austin in February on a charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, cocaine. He was out on bail waiting arraignment when he was accused of violating release conditions Friday.
Austin told the court Monday that he could afford to hire his own attorney instead of getting a court-appointed one.
Assistant District Attorney James Andrews asked the court for bail to be set at $500 cash concurrently for each charge. Andrews also asked for bail conditions to be set that Austin not use or possess alcohol or drugs and that he submit to random search and testing.
Andrews said Austin’s criminal history was a 1991 conviction of possessing unlawful scheduled drugs, Class D, and a criminal trespass.
Austin told the judge that his house burned on Route 156 and that he’d contacted American Red Cross to see if they could assist him in finding a place to stay.
If not, Austin said, he would have to stay at his camp, which hasn’t been opened up yet.
State fire investigators have not determined the cause of the fire, which destroyed the house, but they believe it started on the first floor. Evidence was sent to a state crime lab for analysis.
State fire investigator Dan Young who is handling the investigation wasn’t immediately available for comment Monday.
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