Harrison Thorp 7:12 a.m.
Friday, August 31, 2018 7:11 am
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PORTLAND, Maine - A former Rochester woman pleaded guilty on Thursday in U.S. District Court to torching several vehicles at a Lebanon towing company and car dealership in 2016.
Jaymi Hutchins, 31, formerly of Gilead and Rochester, N.H., pleaded guilty to maliciously damaging and destroying property used in interstate commerce by fire.
Court records reveal that on Oct. 25, 2016, Hutchins intentionally set a fire inside a vehicle in the parking lot of AC Provo Used Cars and Towing in East Lebanon. The fire destroyed three vehicles, including a commercial wrecker.
Hutchins was apprehended following a two-day investigation which revealed, among other evidence, that she had stolen a vehicle from the business which she crashed and abandoned.
Hutchins was also arrested on arson and criminal mischief charges by the Oxford County Sheriff's Office following what appeared to be an arson fire at a vacation home on the North Road in Gilead that occurred about a week later.
Hutchins faces between five and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Fire Marshal's Office; the York and Oxford County Sheriff's Offices; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.