DOVER-FOXCROFT – A Dover-Foxcroft man will spend 10 years in prison for setting fire to a local home while its elderly owner was asleep in the residence.

Joshua Corson, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Piscataquis County Superior Court to causing a fire on Nov. 6, 1999, that endangered Rose Richard, who is in her 80s. He also pleaded guilty to a burglary involving Richard’s home.

Justice Nancy Mills accepted a plea arrangement on the arson charge between Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy and defense attorney David Gray of Dover-Foxcroft.

Mills sentenced Corson to 25 years in prison with all but 10 years suspended.

The judge also placed Corson on probation for six years, ordered him to pay Richard $250 in restitution and to pay up to $4,000 restitution to Richard’s insurance company. He was sentenced to four years on the burglary to be served concurrently. Conditions of Corson’s probation include that he not use or possess alcohol, have no contact with Richard and that he must participate in substance abuse counseling.

Richard had been awakened in the late evening by a fire detector that had activated, but she was unable to escape her burning home without assistance. Dover-Foxcroft police Officer Graham Pearce, who heard the woman’s cries for help, had to kick in a door to rescue her. Richard was hospitalized overnight at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire had been deliberately set on Richard’s enclosed porch. A lighted candle ignited papers that were on the porch, officials reported.

On the night of the fire, Corson had been asked to leave the Summer Street home of a friend after he became argumentative, Almy said Wednesday in court. Corson walked up Summer Street, entered Richard’s enclosed porch, set a fire and then left the residence, Almy said.

A short distance away from Richard’s house, Corson used a cigarette lighter to ignite a “for sale” sign. Later that night, Corson went to the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department to inquire about an outstanding warrant that was unrelated to the fire, he said. The warrant was for theft of services in Sagadahoc County.

Corson could have received a maximum of 40 years in prison, a $50,000 fine and probation for six years for the Class A arson charge. The maximum sentence for Class B burglary is 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine and four years probation.

Almy said Richard, who was not in the courtroom Wednesday, wanted Corson to be “put away for a long time.” The woman told authorities that the fire had “taken a lot out of her.” Richard described the incident to police as a “nightmare.”

Defense attorney Gray said Corson had been “highly intoxicated” when the fire occurred. He called it more of a “careless act,” than an intentional one.

Gray said Richard had let Corson use her telephone on a previous occasion, and his purpose on the night of the fire was to use the telephone again. The defense attorney said Corson had lighted a candle so he could see to call. While inside the home, Corson ate a couple of apples, according to Gray.

Almy and Investigator Scott Richardson of the State Fire Marshal’s Office called the sentence appropriate for the crime.

“It was one of the most serious cases we’ve had in a long time because there was an elderly female trapped inside the house and had to be rescued by a police officer,” said Richardson, during a break in court proceedings.