SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A man is facing several charges for allegedly attempting to set fire to a church in Springfield multiple times over the past month.
According to the State Fire Marshal, Dushko Vulchev of Houlton, Maine was arrested by Pittsfield police on Friday, January 1st. He's being held on bail for arraignment Monday morning in Pittsfield District Court.
Vulchev is being charged with several counts of malicious damage, and three counts of attempted arson of the Martin Luther King Presbyterian Church at 14 Concord Terrace in Springfield, which is more than 400 miles from where Vulchev lives in Maine.
Authorities said there was one attempt to burn the church in Springfield on December 13th, and two more attempts on December 15th.
The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad and FBI agents are assisting local and state authorities investigating another fire that damaged the church on December 28th.
As MassLive reports, around the dates of the fires, two videos were posted to a Facebook account that police confirm belongs to Vulchev.
Both videos are taken outside the Wahlburger's restaurant in Springfield, Mass., a chain co-owned by actor Mark Wahlberg, who Vulchev mentions by name in the footage.
"Marky Mark," a voice can be heard saying, "maybe you're right."
The Facebook profile lists Vulchev as an investment banker who studied Banking and Financial Services Management at Boston University.
According to NBC News Canter Maine, Vulchev, who is originally from Bulgaria, has had several previous run-ins with the law.
As NBC reports, police referred to Vulchev as "a public threat," after he was charged with kidnapping and assaulting his girlfriend in 2016. A week prior to being arrested for holding his girlfriend captive, authorities said Vulchev had requested paperwork from police that would allow him to send weapons overseas.
Vulchev was also sentenced to time served in 2015 for sending a threatening e-mail to Bulgarian officials saying "I will slit your throats. I will kill you like chickens," NBC reports.
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Written by Brit Smith
(Photo: Getty Images)