Four people, including two people under the age of 18, have been indicted on arson charges connected to fires that were set at the former Elan School campus and other Maine properties.
James Akers, 18, of Portland and Jacob Kaiser, 18, of Biddeford were indicted on charges out of Androscoggin and Cumberland counties, according to Maine Department of Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Akers and Kaiser were accused of setting fire to seven buildings, including three at the former Elan School, over the past several months.
Two of those fires were at a vacant building at the Elan School campus in Poland and a construction site in Yarmouth on Nov. 17, 2024.
That same site in Yarmouth was struck again on Jan. 2, burning a vacant home under construction.
Two more fires broke out on March 1, again at the Elan campus and at a vacant home on Madeleine Point Road in Yarmouth.
Those were followed by another fire at a vacant Elan School building on March 7, and then a U.S. Forest Service sign was burned at Princes Point Road and Lafayette Street in Yarmouth on March 19.
Akers was arrested on March 20 for allegedly burning the Forest Service sign. He was taken to the Cumberland County Jail in Portland and later released on bail.
Kaiser was arrested May 13 for allegedly starting the Madeleine Point Road fire that destroyed a home.
Akers was indicted on two counts of arson; two counts of aggravated criminal mischief; three counts of burglary; three counts of theft by unauthorized taking; and two counts of criminal mischief charged by Cumberland County officials, and three counts of arson and three counts of aggravated criminal trespassing out of Androscoggin County.
Kaiser was indicted on two counts of arson; one count of aggravated criminal mischief; four counts of burglary; three counts of theft by unauthorized taking and two counts of criminal mischief out of Cumberland County, along with three counts of arson and three counts of aggravated criminal trespass out of Androscoggin County.
The Androscoggin Grand Jury returned indictments on July 8 and the Cumberland County Grand Jury returned indictments on July 10.
Details on the two juveniles were not made public because the individuals are under the age of 18. They were charged with multiple counts of arson, burglary and theft, according to Moss.
Both Akers and Kaiser were arrested and then released on bail, and await future court dates.
