BANGOR, Maine — The retrial of a Prentiss Township man accused of torching the car of a state fire marshal who was investigating a string of arsons and graffiti taggings around the man’s isolated cabin began Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
On Aug. 2, 2013, a jury deadlocked on whether John A. Weckerly, 56, was guilty of arson following a five-day trial.
Superior Court Justice William Anderson, who is presiding over the retrial, declared a mistrial on the arson charge two years ago.
Weckerly was indicted by a Penobscot County grand jury in April 2012 on a dozen charges — four counts of arson, five counts of criminal mischief and one count each of aggravated criminal mischief, burglary and theft by unauthorized taking. The following year, jurors found Weckerly not guilty on the 11 other charges.
He was arrested without incident and charged with arson early on Aug. 3, 2011. Weckerly has remained free on bail since then but bail conditions prevent him from living in Prentiss Township.
A dog tracked the suspected arsonist from Fire Marshal Sgt. Timothy York’s destroyed car to Weckerly’s home about half a mile away, Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy told the jury of seven men and six women, including one alternate, Monday.
“He had complaints [about his neighbors] and these complaints will help you understand why there was a stakeout and why all of this happened,” the prosecutor said.
York and two other fire investigators were on a midnight detail investigating three previous arsons and incidents of graffiti in the area, Almy said.
The car was set ablaze with a flammable liquid, and a bucket of gasoline was found on the roadway leading to Weckerly’s home. Gloves covered with gasoline were found hanging in his shed, the prosecutor said Monday.
Defense attorney Kirk Bloomer described Weckerly in his opening statement Monday as “a loner,” who “did not get along well with his neighbors.”
Bloomer said the evidence will show that the chemicals found in the burned-out car were those that make up kerosene, not gasoline. Bloomer also told jurors that Zorro, the K-9 used to track the suspected arsonist, was too young and inexperienced to follow a scent as well as more experienced dogs.
The retrial was delayed so Bloomer could appeal Anderson’s denial of his motion to dismiss the arson charge after the judge declared a mistrial to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. In November, the justices unanimously affirmed Anderson’s decision.
The retrial is scheduled to last three to four days.
BDN writer Nok-Noi Ricker contributed to this report.