A Canaan man charged with arson after a September fire faces new charges, the state fire marshal’s office said Tuesday.

Matthew Short, 30, has been charged with three counts of violating conditions of release after contacting Sheena Moshier from the Somerset County Jail, according to a news release from Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

A Canaan man charged with arson in a September fire that destroyed a mobile home in Canaan and killed several pets is facing new charges. Staff file photo by Michael G. Seamans

Matthew Short

Moshier, who was arrested last month on charges unrelated to the fire, has also been charged with theft by deception and violating conditions of release.

Short was charged in March with arson, burglary and cruelty to animals in connection with the mobile home fire that killed four dogs and three cats at 289 Browns Corner Road. At his arraignment last month, he also was told he could have no contact with Moshier, described as his girlfriend, but investigators discovered that he has made several calls and has written letters to her from the Somerset County Jail, where he remains in custody without bail, the release said.

Moshier was arrested last month on several charges unrelated to the fire after investigators found she was selling kerosene that she had received from public assistance for $1 a gallon, the release said.

Moshier, 30, was using her Facebook page to advertise the fuel, the release said. She was charged on April 5. She is free on bail.

Fire investigators were assisted in bringing the new charges by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and the Somerset County district attorney’s investigator.

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