Special2bme
March 23rd, 2009, 03:57 PM
SPRINGVALE — A mother and son have been arrested in connection with an arson fire that displaced 14 residents and heavily damaged a four-unit apartment building at 20 Mill St. on Jan. 6.
Raymond Fortier, 23, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Panama City, Fla., March 5 and is expected to be extradited to Maine. His mother, Janice Fortier, 46, was arrested at her home March 10, Sanford police and fire officials said.
A York County Jail booking officer said Janice Fortier was released on $5,000 cash bail shortly after her arrest.
Both mother and son lived at 22 Mill St., directly adjacent to the apartment building that burned. Police allege that Raymond Fortier left for Florida within days of the fire.
The early morning fire sent 14 people fleeing into the street with just the clothes on their backs, Fire Chief Raymond Parent and Police Chief Thomas Connolly said in a joint statement.
Authorities aren’t yet revealing any motive for the arson.
Police allege that the pair started the fire outside, at the rear of the structure, while the tenants slept inside.
The joint investigation was conducted by Sanford Police Criminal Investigation Division, Sanford fire investigators and elements of a regional fire investigation team. The unit was created by area fire departments as a resource for fire scene examination and investigation.
None of the tenants had rental insurance, although the building, owned by George Sleeper, was insured.
Occupants of the nearby Haven Cove condominiums had to be evacuated when the fire began threatening that structure and the exterior sliding door on that building was damaged by the fire. The occupants of 22 Mill St., where Raymond and Janice Fortier lived, were also evacuated.
No one was injured in the blaze, which took more than three hours to bring under control.
The fire consumed the two rear units of the structure, originally built around 1925, according to town records. The two units near the street sustained smoke and water damage.
Sanford Fire Department investigator Brian Smith, after the fire, said occupants of those units were able to retrieve only a very few items like personal documents.
Arson is a Class A felony. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 30 years in prison.http://www.journaltribune.com/pastnews/2009/march2009/NEWS032009.HTML
SANFORD (AP) -- A mother and son are facing arson charges for allegedly setting fire to a four-unit apartment house in Sanford next door to a complex where they lived.
Police and fire officials told the Journal Tribune in Biddeford that 46-year-old Janice Fortier and her 23-year-old son, Raymond Fortier, are charged in the Jan. 6 fire that sent 14 people fleeing into the streets with just the clothes on their backs.
Officials said the fire started at the rear of the apartment house while the tenants were asleep inside. Authorities aren't revealing any motive.
Janice Fortier was arrested earlier this month at her Sanford
http://www.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=102318
Raymond Fortier, 23, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Panama City, Fla., March 5 and is expected to be extradited to Maine. His mother, Janice Fortier, 46, was arrested at her home March 10, Sanford police and fire officials said.
A York County Jail booking officer said Janice Fortier was released on $5,000 cash bail shortly after her arrest.
Both mother and son lived at 22 Mill St., directly adjacent to the apartment building that burned. Police allege that Raymond Fortier left for Florida within days of the fire.
The early morning fire sent 14 people fleeing into the street with just the clothes on their backs, Fire Chief Raymond Parent and Police Chief Thomas Connolly said in a joint statement.
Authorities aren’t yet revealing any motive for the arson.
Police allege that the pair started the fire outside, at the rear of the structure, while the tenants slept inside.
The joint investigation was conducted by Sanford Police Criminal Investigation Division, Sanford fire investigators and elements of a regional fire investigation team. The unit was created by area fire departments as a resource for fire scene examination and investigation.
None of the tenants had rental insurance, although the building, owned by George Sleeper, was insured.
Occupants of the nearby Haven Cove condominiums had to be evacuated when the fire began threatening that structure and the exterior sliding door on that building was damaged by the fire. The occupants of 22 Mill St., where Raymond and Janice Fortier lived, were also evacuated.
No one was injured in the blaze, which took more than three hours to bring under control.
The fire consumed the two rear units of the structure, originally built around 1925, according to town records. The two units near the street sustained smoke and water damage.
Sanford Fire Department investigator Brian Smith, after the fire, said occupants of those units were able to retrieve only a very few items like personal documents.
Arson is a Class A felony. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 30 years in prison.http://www.journaltribune.com/pastnews/2009/march2009/NEWS032009.HTML
SANFORD (AP) -- A mother and son are facing arson charges for allegedly setting fire to a four-unit apartment house in Sanford next door to a complex where they lived.
Police and fire officials told the Journal Tribune in Biddeford that 46-year-old Janice Fortier and her 23-year-old son, Raymond Fortier, are charged in the Jan. 6 fire that sent 14 people fleeing into the streets with just the clothes on their backs.
Officials said the fire started at the rear of the apartment house while the tenants were asleep inside. Authorities aren't revealing any motive.
Janice Fortier was arrested earlier this month at her Sanford
http://www.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=102318