PARIS — A Norway man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Oxford County Superior court to burning down a Norway boarding house last summer.
Todd Fickett, 19, had pleaded not guilty to arson in November 2011.
His sentence has been stayed until he receives a mental health evaluation, but the District Attorney’s office has recommended 20 years with all but 10 years suspended.
Fickett was a resident of the 2½-story building at 467 Main St. On May 9, he started a fire in his room that quickly spread to the rest of the building, where about 12 other residents were living.
Fickett told police he’d set a fire in a trash can to create smoke and disrupt the other tenants, but never intended to burn down the building. He said he fell asleep after the fire started and when he awoke it had spread to the rest of the room. In talking to police, Fickett first identified himself as his brother, Travis Fickett.
Assistant District Attorney Joseph O’Connor said that when State Fire Marshal investigator Daniel Young interviewed Fickett after the fire, he noted that he didn’t smell smoke on Fickett, and said Fickett may not have been truthful about falling asleep after the fire began.
Jayson Hill, another resident at the boarding house, told police about an argument he’d had with Fickett about Fickett stealing food from him. Fickett allegedly told Hill, “I’m going to kill you” when Hill confronted him about the food before leaving, according to the affidavit.
Hill was awake playing video games when the fire started, and woke up other residents when the fire began and called 911.
Two females told police they saw Fickett running from the building before firefighters arrived.
About a dozen tenants lost their possessions but no one was hurt. The building was destroyed.
The roof of Ari’s Pizza and Subs next door briefly caught fire. Firefighters managed to keep the fire from spreading and protected several propane tanks in the alley between Ari’s and the boarding house from igniting.
Fickett will return to court for sentencing in April or May.
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