The Bath man accused of setting the Dike Newell elementary school on fire in June 2022 is expected to plead guilty to arson.
Allan Thomas Vigil, 30, will appear Wednesday at the West Bath District Court, and he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, according to The Times Record.
Vigil’s attorney, Jennifer Cohen, declined to comment on her client’s case, The Times Record reported.
Vigil allegedly broke into the school the night of June 10 last year, and started a fire that rendered the school unusable.
Vigil reportedly started the fire at Dike Newell by turning on the kitchen’s propane stove, and then igniting “lots of paper” from a supply closet with a lighter. He evacuated the building after the fire alarm went off, then confessed his crime to police.
Vigil also set several fires around Bath in July 2013, including at the Merrymeeting Center for Child Development. He received four years of probation and a 12-year suspended prison sentence in 2014.
Students and teachers at Dike Newell have since relocated to the former Bath Regional Career and Technical Center on High Street. They will likely remain there for several years while the state and school district work together to build a new school, according to The Times Record.