PORTLAND – The parents of a Kennebunk teenager serving a 21/2-year arson sentence say they are pleased with a federal appeals court ruling that could allow their son to be transferred from a juvenile facility in Pennsylvania to one in Maine.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston directed that a judge review the sentence imposed on the youth – identified in court papers only as Patrick V. – to determine if the Cresson Secure Treatment Unit in Pennsylvania is able to provide him with adequate treatment.

The case has drawn scrutiny because it was brought in federal court. Patrick’s mother, Denise Collier, believes federal prosecutors got involved only because the Arundel boatyard fire set by her son and a companion in 2002 destroyed a Secret Service dinghy and a speedboat engine that belonged to former President George H.W. Bush.

Prosecutors in Maine have denied that the decision to prosecute the case in federal court had anything to do with the Bush family.

The parents hope U.S. District Judge George Singal’s review of their son’s sentence will lead to his transfer to Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.

“This is a good decision for us. It’s what we were looking for. And we’re quite pleased. It’ll give the court a chance to reassess the situation with all the information the court needs,” said Robert Mongue, Patrick’s stepfather and also his lawyer in the appeal.

The three-judge appeals panel asked Singal to look at the programs and resources available at Cresson and find a balance between the goals of detaining the boy and rehabilitating him.

Mongue said the parties to the case would meet today to determine how the review will proceed.

Patrick was 14 when he and Christopher Conley, 19, of Kennebunkport, set the fire at Southern Maine Marine Services. The two also were involved in a series of burglaries, prosecutors said.