MACHIASPORT, Maine — Two people have been charged with arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a boat owned by a local aquaculture firm.
The boat, owned by Cooke Aquaculture, was set ablaze June 23, as Joseph Moore II, 29, of Machiasport and a 17 year-old boy from East Machias were attempting to steal the boat’s external gas tank, the state fire marshal’s office indicated Tuesday in a prepared statement.
The name of the boy is not being released because he is a juvenile.
The 22-foot long boat, which had a 90 horsepower Mercury motor, was on a trailer parked outside the True North Salmon processing plant on Smalls Point Road when the incident occurred. The value of the boat is estimated to have been $25,000 before it was destroyed.
The boy and Moore were summoned last week on charges of arson and failing to report a dangerous fire, according to the statement. They are scheduled to appear on the charges in court in Machias on Aug. 2.
