AUBURN, Maine — During her first court appearance on Wednesday morning, prosecutors told a judge that a Lewiston woman admitted to setting her apartment on fire, while her lawyer argued that the woman suffers from multiple psychological disorders.
At Wednesday morning’s hearing on an arson charge against Jackie McBurnie, a judge set McBurnie’s bail at $10,000. Prosecutors had asked the judge to double it to $20,000.
McBurnie, 33, allegedly set a fire in the kitchen of her apartment on Bartlett Street in Lewiston last week.
Ten hours later, a second fire ripped through the same apartment building, leaving a dozen people homeless. The State Fire Marshal’s Office says that fire started in McBurnie’s bedroom.
In court on Wednesday, prosecutors say McBurnie admitted, after her arrest, to setting two fires in her apartment. She is charged with one count of arson, but Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said more charges could be forthcoming.
McBurnie’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 30 at 9 a.m.