Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A volunteer firefighter suspected in a series of fires in Maine last summer, accepted a plea agreement last week and began serving a prison term.
Timothy Tiess, 37, of the Pleasant Point Fire Department, was charged with five counts of arson and one charge of aggravated criminal mischief related to a series of fires in July 2010. He was suspected of setting both wildland and structure fires but was only charged for the wildland fires.
This was apparently not Tiess’s first go-round with setting fires. The Bangor Daily News is reporting that Tiess had three prior convictions for fire-related incidents back in the 1990s involving structures in southern Maine. No word on how he was able to continue as a firefighter… but don’t discount a good attorney. Despite the five arson charges, Tiess only pled guilty to a single count of aggravated criminal mischief. He is serving an 18 month sentence.
