BELFAST, Maine — A Belfast man will spend 90 days in jail more than two years after he allegedly set fire to his grocery store in an effort to get insurance money.
Kyle Skinner, 37, pleaded no contest last week to a trio of charges including aggravated criminal mischief, a Class C felony, and two charges of providing false statements to investigators, according to court records.
All but 90 days of his three-year sentence were suspended, and he will spend two years on probation.
Police arrested Skinner in March 2015, nine months after the fire. He faced charges of arson and insurance deception, which were dropped as part of last week’s plea deal. The case had been scheduled to go to trial Oct. 31.
The Goose River Grocery and Trading Post on Swan Lake Avenue had closed for the night and was unoccupied when the fire started. A Belfast firefighter drove by around 9 p.m. and noticed smoke in the road, and saw there was heavy smoke coming from the grocery store and flames coming out the rear window.
Two dozen firefighters responded and were able to quickly knock down the fire that appeared to have started in the kitchen, Chief Jim Richards of the Belfast Fire Department said the morning after the blaze.
A few weeks later, Belfast police said the fire had been intentionally set, and that they were investigating the arson along with the Maine fire marshal’s office. Months passed before Skinner’s arrest.
In July, Skinner sued his insurance company for failing to pay out on a policy he purchased a few months before the fire when he entered into a contract with store owners to buy the business. The lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
BDN writer Abigail Curtis contributed to this report.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.