Summertime frat arson prompts $5000 reward

Dave Alspach, 61, a University of Arizona alumnus and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity member, said he is president of an organization called the "ATO building board."

Alspach said his board will shell out the cash in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. No arrests have been made in connection with the July 12 fire that destroyed the former ATO fraternity house, 1050 N. Cherry Ave.

"We just thought we ought to find out something," Alspach said.

Alspach, now a retired airline pilot, was a UA student between 1955-1960 and an ATO member starting in 1956. He said part of the motive behind the reward is to reclaim some of the money that the "building board" lost in the blaze.

Police estimated damage to the property at $850,000.

"We lost money because we had to continue many mortgage payments (for the fraternity house) and pay taxes," he said.

Alspach said he tried soliciting more funding for the reward from Hartford Insurance Company, but they were "not interested." Representatives from the company were unavailable for comment last night.

Due to insufficient evidence, Deputy Pima County Attorney Bill Dickinson decided Jan. 13 not to charge Brian Ross, 22 and Jeffrey Kantor, 20, with arson.

But Dickinson did indict Kantor and Ross, both former ATO members, on charges of second-degree burglary and theft.

He also indicted Ross, who is currently attending school in South Carolina, on possession of marijuana, possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. Ross' initial court appearance is Feb. 24.

Kantor, of the 1500 block of East Painted Colt Loop, pleaded not guilty Jan. 27 and his next court appearance will be Feb. 25.

Dickinson charged Ross with theft after police found ATO's hand-carved front door in his house.

Kantor was charged with theft because police found photos in his possession that he allegedly stole from the ATO structure.

The odds are "greater than 50 percent" that the arsonists were involved in the Greek system, Alspach said yesterday.

"I think the odds are favorable," he said. "Hearsay goes a long way and there's certainly been a lot of that going around. I'll be darned if I say they (Ross and Kantor) did it."

University Police Cmdr. Brian Seastone said last night that he had not been formally notified about Alspach's offer.

"I know it's been talked about," Seastone said. "It can't hurt."

The reward money will come from funds acquired from the property's sale to Delta Tau Delta fraternity last summer, Alspach said.

"Arson is a tough crime to prove," he said.

Alspach said he has "no doubt" that some individuals know something about the incident they haven't shared with police.

"We'll never know (what happened) unless someone steps forward," he said.

Wildcat reporter Liz Dailey contributed to this report.