PRESQUE ISLE, MAINE — A local man who was injured in a Jan. 3 apartment building fire that investigators from the state fire marshal’s office deemed “suspicious” has been indicted on charges of arson and aggravated criminal mischief.
Keith Antworth, 45, whose last known address was 21 Allen St. in Presque Isle, was the sole tenant of the apartment building at the time of the fire, according to Senior Investigator Tim Lowell of the state fire marshal’s office.
Firefighters discovered Antworth had jumped about 15 feet when they arrived at 21 Allen St. shortly after the blaze was reported at about 2:25 p.m., according to Presque Isle Fire Chief Darrell White.
White said Monday that Antworth, who suffered minor burns, was first taken by Crown Ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle but may have been transferred to a hospital in southern Maine for additional care.
Antworth was the only person inside at the time of the fire, according to Lowell.
White said he could not discuss why the fire was deemed suspicious.
The fire chief said the blaze started in a first-floor apartment of the building owned by Roger Pelkey.
White said several cats died in the fire, and the interior of the building was significantly damaged.
None of the 14 firefighters who battled the blaze was injured, according to the chief.
The case was presented to the Aroostook County grand jury last week, and Antworth was indicted on the charges Friday, March 6.