A Bristol Township woman is headed to trial for a June series of June arson fires that led to her arrest earlier this fall.
At a preliminary hearing last Wednesday, District Judge Kevin Wagner held all 35 charges, including arson, reckless endangerment, and intimidation of a witness, against Catherine Mary Gerretz, 59, for trial.
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Gerretz was transported by constables and remained in the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $200,000 bail.
Chief Deputy Public Defender Lisa Williams told the judge her client was not guilty to the charges.
The charges stem from fires that occurred on consecutive days at Gerretz’s residence in the 20 block of Yellowood Drive in the Levittown section of Bristol Township.
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Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito testified that he responded to investigate a blaze at the home on June 10.
Police had been dispatched to the address at 3:07 a.m. and found a fire that Dippolito later determined was caused by a gasoline-based accelerant.
Dippolito told the court that in the course of his investigation he found an additional, smaller incendiary fire at the home.
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On June 11, police responded to the same address at 1:29 a.m. to find the house engulfed in flames.
Dippolito testified he arrived shortly after the fire was reported while firefighters were actively battling the blaze.
The June 11 fire severely damaged Gerretz’s home and also caused damage to an occupied neighboring home on Yellowood Drive, police said.
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Detective Emilyann Maialetti testified regarding inconsistencies in statements Gerretz made to police concerning her whereabouts during both incidents.
Gerretz initially told police she was at her son’s apartment on June 10 and returned home to fall asleep on her couch before being woken by a neighbor.
License plate reader data and surveillance images entered as evidence showed her car leaving the residence at 2:28 a.m.
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For the June 11 blaze, Gerretz told authorities she was at a hotel, returning home between midnight and 12:30 a.m. to retrieve some items, police said.
Surveillance footage and phone data contradict the statement and indicating she arrived in the area of the home at at 1:04 a.m. and left at 1:16 a.m., just three minutes before the fire was recorded on video, police said.
Video from a nearby security camera showed flames causing shadows on trees across the street.
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According to court papers, Gerretz was facing financial difficulties.
The criminal complaint stated that Gerretz was behind on mortgage installments since June 2023, and her property was facing a pending sheriff’s sale.
As of December 17, 2024, the total amount due was approximately $103,057.72, police said.
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An estimate from State Farm to repair or replace the damaged property was approximately $242,905.13, according to court records.
In addition, Bristol Township police began investigating handwritten notes left for neighbors on July 19.
One note reportedly told a neighbor, who had reported a fire and assisted in putting one out, to “keep talkin’ sh*t.”
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In a separate case out of Bristol Township, Gerretz is facing a charge of theft and receiving stolen property from days before the fire’s at her home.
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