LEWISTON — All charges against a Norway woman indicted in an apartment building fire last summer have been dismissed by prosecutors.
Katrina A. O’Connor, 30, lived at 17 Deering St., Norway, an apartment building that was severely damaged by an early afternoon fire on Aug. 27.
O’Connor was indicted on a charge of arson, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. She also was charged with criminal mischief and theft.
Those and other charges were dismissed last month in 8th District Court in Lewiston after defense attorney Justin Leary met with prosecutors and a judge to discuss the status of the case.
Firefighters from more than a dozen area departments respond to a five-alarm fire Aug. 27 at 17 Deering St. in downtown Norway. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Prosecutors did not provide on the record the reasons for their dismissal of the charges, Leary said.
Investigators said O’Connor told the first police officer at the scene of the fire that she had poured gasoline on her mattress and lit it, according to an affidavit in court files.
Police had also spoken to a tenant in the building who said O’Connor had reportedly asked whether her children were out of the building because she was going to light her mattress on fire, according to the affidavit
One woman was injured and at least six people were displaced, officials said.
More than a dozen area fire departments assisted the local department in fighting the fire, finally bringing the blaze under control about three hours later.
The building was apparently not equipped with sprinklers, local officials said.
Only two of the building’s five apartments were occupied at the time of the fire and every resident reportedly exited the building safely.
The property is owned by Northeast Rental Housing and assessed at $120,300, according to Norway’s 2022 tax commitment map.
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