A Masardis woman allegedly stormed out of a house after fighting with her ex-partner and tried to burn it and another nearby home with a lighter.
Brooke Robinson, 26, set fires at the home of her ex-partner and at a vacant building, according to an affidavit filed Thursday at Aroostook District Court in Presque Isle.
Investigators ruled the fires were purposely set. Arson, a Class A or felony crime in Maine, carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.
Ashland police received a complaint on Oct. 10 that Robinson had broken windows and entered an unoccupied house at 1158 Frenchville Road, state fire marshal’s office investigator Cody Fenderson stated in court documents obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
The property owner, Nelson Hafford, reported the broken windows and found an area that looked like someone had tried to burn the structure, Fenderson said.
The home’s former occupants, Jasmine Wentworth and Brandon McPherson, had recently moved across the street, according to court records. They reported seeing Robinson breaking the windows, arguing with a man outside an adjacent property and doing something near the home’s exterior with her hands.
Fenderson’s investigation revealed that Robinson was living with her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Bowring, and his father, Robert Bowring, in a nearby mobile home at 1164 Frenchville Road. Christopher Bowring said he and Robinson had argued on Oct. 10, according to court records.
Robinson allegedly stormed outside, and Robert Bowring followed her because he was afraid of what she would do. He noted smoke and flames in an outside corner of his home and found Robinson holding a torch lighter to another area, Fenderson reported. Robert Bowring put out the fires.
Robinson next ran to the unoccupied home, one side of which faces the Bowrings’ residence. Robert Bowring noted the red torch-style lighter in her hand when she ran, but neither he, Wentworth nor McPherson saw her attempt to burn the vacant building, according to court documents.
Fenderson described the damage at the vacant home as a roughly 2-by-3.5-inch charred space in a corner of the mobile home’s entryway.
Damage to the Bowring home included a large area of charring where blue foam insulation burned, and another area along the bottom where skirting material was consumed by fire.
Fenderson ruled that both fires were “consistent with ignition by an open flame applied to exterior building materials,” records stated.
Ashland police arrested Robinson, who was taken to Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle for treatment, court records stated.
Ashland police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Robinson’s rap sheet includes several charges for disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and theft, according to court documents.
She was charged in 2021 in Orono with theft and violating conditions of release, and was incarcerated for 55 days. A charge of eluding an officer was dismissed.
She was charged with operating under the influence and theft in 2022 in Presque Isle, and received seven days’ incarceration, a $500 fine and 150-day license suspension.
Bail was set at $1,000 cash, with the conditions that Robinson cannot possess any incendiary devices and must not have any contact with Christopher Bowring, Robert Bowring, Hafford, Wentworth or McPherson.
No court date has been set.