PARIS — A Woodstock man accused of breaking into two Waterford homes and burning them down to hide the evidence will undergo a mental health examination, a judge ruled Friday.
Jordan Caldwell, 19, pleaded not guilty to two counts of arson and burglary at an arraignment in Oxford County Superior Court on Friday morning before Active-Retired Justice Robert Clifford.
Caldwell was indicted by a grand jury in June after police said he intentionally set fires to two seasonal homes on North Pond in Woodstock this past spring.
Attorney Donald Hornblower said he had reason to believe his client should undergo a mental health examination at Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta to establish whether he is competent to proceed and should be held criminally responsible for the crimes. There was no objection from the state and the motion for the exam was granted.
Caldwell, who is being held in Cumberland County Jail in Portland, is charged with breaking into a Gore Road home in Woodstock on March 26, disabling a smoke detector and setting a fire that razed the home. On May 15, police allege Caldwell broke into a second home on Gore Road in Woodstock and ignited a fire that gutted the building.
Caldwell lived near both sites. Damage to the two buildings is expected to exceed $500,000.
Bail was set at $20,000 cash.
ccrosby@sunmediagroup.net
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