A Winslow man who is a student at the University of Southern Maine was arrested Monday for allegedly setting three fires inside his dormitory earlier in the day, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.
Jordan D. Maroon, 20, a junior at the school in Portland and Gorham, faces three arson charges after allegedly setting a fire in a trash can on the first floor of his Gorham campus dormitory, Philippi Hall, near the dorm entrance. He also is alleged to have set two posters on fire inside the building, according to McCausland. No one was injured in the incident.
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The fires were reported a 4:30 a.m. and none of the three “really took off and went very far,” according to Sgt. Joel Davis, of the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
“There was some smoke damage and obviously, there were 187 kids they had to evacuate from the building,” Davis said.
While the damage was not extensive, officials take the charges seriously, Davis said.
“Obviously, we take seriously any fire in a dorm where people are sleeping — or any fire,” he said. “This underscores that. We’ll investigate it fully.”
Four investigators from the fire marshal’s office worked with University of Southern Maine police to investigate the case. Fire investigators interviewed students at the dorm early Monday morning and identified Maroon as a person of interest, Davis said.
State Fire Marshal’s Office investigator Chris Stanford Sr. arrested Maroon about 1:30 p.m. in South Portland, where he was visiting a friend at Southern Maine Community College, Davis said.
He was taken to Cumberland County Jail in Portland where he was being held on $10,000 cash bail.
The fire marshal was notified of the fire by USM police and the Gorham Fire Department, Davis said.
Maroon graduated from Winslow High School in 2010, according to his Facebook page, which says he worked at the front desk in his dorm at the university.
According to Morning Sentinel archives, Maroon was listed on the honor roll all four years of high school.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com
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