PORTLAND – A Fryeburg man facing federal prosecution on a charge of setting a fire that destroyed the Fryeburg Academy gymnasium in October appeared in U.S. District Court Tuesday.
Philip Thibault, 20, a 2003 graduate of the private school, faces one count of arson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Murphy said Tuesday the charge is a federal violation because the fire “resulted in damage to a building that was used in or affected interstate or foreign commerce.”
In court Tuesday, Thibault waived a probable cause hearing pending possible indictment or other disposition, court clerk Susan Hall said. He is being held at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland.
Thibault is accused of starting the blaze that destroyed the 50-year-old Harvey Dow Gibson Recreation Center and Gymnasium in the early morning hours of Oct. 11. The fire leveled the building and the school lost nearly all its athletic uniforms and equipment as well as a full-length basketball court.
Fire crews from four towns battled the blaze, which was not completely extinguished for nearly 12 hours after it was first reported. Damage was estimated at $1.5 million.
Thibault was arrested in Flint, Mich., in early December and returned to Maine.
An employee at the academy’s alumni office said Thibault attended the University of Southern Maine after graduating in 2003.
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