AUBURN, Maine -- An unusual effort is under way to steer back on track the life of a former junior volunteer firefighter who pleaded guilty Thursday to arson in connection with a Mechanic Falls restaurant fire last year.
A sentencing date for Joshua Michaud, 20, of Mechanic Falls was set for late June in an effort to give him time to complete counseling aimed at helping him overcome issues related to his fire-starting.
Prosecutors said Thursday they would wait to gauge the success of the programs and confer with the property owner before recommending a sentence that may or may not include prison time. Arson is a class A crime, punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Worden told a judge in Androscoggin County Superior Court that he would have called witnesses to testify at Michaud's trial that he confessed to having started a fire at 68 Maple St. on July 19, 2010.
Michaud was early to arrive at that fire as well as an earlier brush fire, Worden said. Fire investigators had determined the fire was intentional. Two people witnessed Michaud, then 18 years old, in the area of the restaurant dressed in his turnout gear before the general alarm went out. At that time, the fire was the size of a basketball. After being interviewed by fire officials, Michaud admitted starting the fire by pulling back vinyl siding on the building and setting fire to the insulation underneath with a cigarette lighter, Worden said.
Michaud has no criminal history as an adult, nor as a juvenile, said his attorney, Allan Lobozzo. Michaud completed a therapeutic intervention program in Utah in the fall and is currently enrolled in an additional program aimed at treating his issues.
Dean Campbell, chief of the Minot Fire Department, wrote a letter on Michaud's behalf, saying he worked for several years as a junior firefighter at the department under the chief's direct supervision.
"My concern is that Josh will be incarcerated and not receive the counseling he needs to correct his behavior," Campbell wrote. "I don't think time spent behind bars will help Josh to become a productive member of society."
A teacher at Poland Regional High School, where Michaud graduated with a diploma last year, wrote that he was an "unusually compassionate (and) gentle young man" who volunteered for school projects under her auspices, including creating a garden, making and selling salsa in the community, local trail restoration and packaging of holiday baskets at the Poland Community Church Food Bank. She called him an "instrumental" member of the group.
A neighbor wrote a letter to say that Michaud, unsolicited, helped with yard chores when one of the family members was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Asked by the family what compelled him, Michaud apparently said: "It was the right thing to do."
Active-Retired Justice Robert Clifford released Michaud's cash bail to his family. He is free on unsecured $2,500 bond while he continues treatment.
Lobozzo said his client had been following his normal route through Mechanic Falls the day he set the fire, calling his action "spontaneous." Michaud has been evaluated by several psychologists, Lobozzo said.
"This case should be viewed differently than the typical," Lobozzo told the judge.
Worden said his office agreed to wait until after Michaud had undergone a course of treatment recommended by the psychologists who evaluated him before considering suggesting a sentence.
"It's hopeful that both parties will have a joint recommendation and it will be substantially different than it would have been without that treatment," Worden said.
Four investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office convened at the Maple Street site to comb the remains for clues. Fire spread through the building's wall and roof and a ceiling.
More than 50 firefighters from eight neighboring towns had converged on the scene. Damage to the building was estimated at roughly $30,000.
Quick action by several local firefighters kept the Maple Street fire from spreading and possibly destroying the building. No injuries were reported.
The building, which was once an old railroad building, was renovated about 10 years ago as a warehouse and then several restaurants. The building was insured.
Conditions of his release included staying away from 68 Maple St. Michaud was ordered to take his medications as prescribed and not to use or have incendiary devices.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
