High bail continues for graffiti house arson suspect

Tommy Ellis

The man arrested in the June arson fire that destroyed the so-called “graffiti house” on Champion Street is being held at the York County Jail in Alfred as his court case continues in York County Superior Court.

Tommy Ellis of Epping, N.H., who has had ties to Milton in the past, had his $50,000 cash bail continued this week at a bail hearing and awaits his next court appearance in November.

Ellis was arrested Aug. 10 by Epping Police on a fugitive from justice warrant and has been at the jail ever since after waiving extradition to Maine several days later.

The house was identified as a marijuana growing factory, but no charges have surfaced after Maine DEA agents were only able to salvage a few plants as evidence after the fire.

Ellis, who is in his late 20s, lived in Milton for a while and is said to have been a transient in the past, with no specified home address.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office has indicated that Ellis and the person who rented the house knew each other.

No motive for the fire has been released.

Arson in the state of Maine is a Class A felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

The former graffiti house, strewn for decades with the political rhetoric of the late Clarence "Clabby" Tanner of Lebanon who formerly lived there, was sold to the new owners a couple of years ago.

The former clapboard house had been sided in recent years and appeared to have been kept tidy. 

The owner, who lives in Florida, has said she can’t afford to pay to have the building razed, so Lebanon selectmen are in the process of putting the demolition work out to bid in hopes of having the building razed and the property made safe soon.

Selectmen expect to fully recover any cost incurred by attaching the property or initiating some form of lien to ensure repayment.