(WVNY) – Barre Police have arrested a man for arson after they say he called into the Howard Stern radio show, admitting he burned down his apartment and then lied to police about it.
Mark Shaw may be better known as Bigfoot, after his stints on the show, even being featured as a prime member of Stern’s Wack Pack.
“I treat him like a psychiatrist,” Shaw told us in 2012, when we talked with him in Newport about his time on the show. “If I got something on my mind, I’m more than likely going to say it.”
Fast forward nearly 8 years. Shaw is accused of burning down his apartment on December 3. At the same time, police say he was on the phone with Stern’s producer, spilling the details.
While court documents show Shaw told officers it was an accident, that he knocked over a candle, causing the flames, he told the producer it was quote ‘something that needed to happen’ and what he wanted to do.
The fire caused $75,000 in property damage and displaced 2 neighbors. Documents also show that Shaw made several calls to police in the weeks prior, claiming he was fed up with sexual activity occurring in the hallway. He also cited his schizophrenia in the phone calls to the Stern show.
The affidavit goes on to say the VP of safety and security at Sirius XM radio reached out to Barre City Police days later, alerting them of their conversations with Bigfoot. He was arrested Wednesday and charged with arson.
Shaw was arraigned in Washington County Court and is being held for psychiatric evaluation.
