Maine Woman Sets Fire To Own Apartment, Hides Behind a Snowbank

A Clinton woman is facing charges after allegedly setting fire to her own apartment in response to a landlord dispute.

Where Was This?

The incident happened at approximately 9:30 Wednesday night in a multi-unit apartment building at 12 Roderick Road. Members of the Clinton Fire and Police Departments responded to a report from tenants that they were smelling smoke.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss says the fire was contained to a single apartment in the building. Tenants who were in the building at the time were able to get out safely while crews worked to extinguish the fire. Once it was out, the tenants were able to get back to their apartments. There are no reports of injuries.

How Did the Fire Start?

The State Fire Marshal's Office investigated and determined that the fire started in and on a kitchen stove in the apartment where the damage occurred and that the fire was intentionally set. The tenant of that unit, Jamie Perry, 30, was arrested on a charge of arson and transported to the Kennebec County Jail.

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Where Does the Snowbank Come Into This?

The Clinton Police Department wrote about the arrest on their Facebook page and explained that the arrest was not immediate, because they had to find Perry.

Officer Chouinard found some foot prints and wagon tracks in the freshly fallen snow and sleet, leading away from the scene and decided to follow them. Those trusty crime-fighting wagon tracks led him all the way to the end of Lyndsey Lane, where they came to an end at a snowbank.  Spoiler alert: snowbanks don't hide much.

Police found Perry lying on the ground behind the snowbank, covered in a blanket. Initially concerned for her well-being, police had the woman transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation. After she was checked out, Clinton Police say she told them she had been involved in a dispute with her landlord which allegedly 'fueled her inner fire starter.'