AUBURN — A local man was charged Wednesday with setting three fires in the city one day in October.
Johnny Briggs Androscoggin County Jail photo
An Androscoggin County grand jury indicted Johnny D. Briggs Jr., 53, on three felony counts of arson, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
He also was charged with aggravated criminal mischief, a felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, and failure to control or report a dangerous fire, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
According to the indictment, Briggs is accused of setting a fire on the night of Oct. 14 on the property of the Dunkin’ on Riverside Drive.
That same day, he allegedly caused a fire on the property of The Knight House, a historical structure built in the late 1700s and believed to be one of the oldest buildings in the city, located in West Pitch Park.
The third location where Briggs is said to have caused a fire is on the property of Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub on Main Street.
Briggs was arrested roughly a week later after a police investigation led to him as a suspect.
He remained at Androscoggin County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $15,000 cash or $5,000 cash bail with supervised release.
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