MAINE, USA — Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland announced two separate arson arrests Monday morning, in connection with separate fires in Augusta and Athens.
Dwayne Weese, 52, is accused of setting fire to a building next to his home on Vernal Huff Road in Athens on Feb. 28. Just one day prior to the fire, Weese's mother had sold the building to a Standish couple who planned to use it as a recreational camp. Damage to the building was minor and the fire extinguished itself.
Investigators said the fire started in a crawl space under the building and said footprints in the snow led to Weese's property next door.
Larry Doyen, 45, was arrested nearly Monday morning after a fire inside his apartment at 23 Western Avenue in Augusta. McCausland said a sprinkler unit inside the 10-unit apartment building activated and kept damage to a minimum, but the other nine tenants had to spend the night elsewhere.
Shortly after the fire was reported, Augusta police located Doyen on a nearby street. Fire investigators said a cardboard box inside his apartment had been set on fire.
Doyen was taken to the Kennebec County Jail and Weese was taken to the Somerset County Jail. Both men are expected in court Monday.
Doyen is pictured below. NEWS CENTER Maine has not yet been provided with a photo of Weese.
