WESTBOROUGH – A woman from West Roxbury has been charged with setting fire to a clothing donation box in the Westborough Police Headquarters lobby on Sunday, Nov. 26.
According to information provided by Westborough Police, officers discovered a fire in the lobby around 8:19 p.m. The fire set off the sprinkler system; the Fire Department responded and confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.
There were no injuries.
Just before the fire, an officer had transported a woman to the lobby as a courtesy; she was waiting for a ride because the vehicle, in which she was a passenger, had to be towed due to an accident. The officer reviewed the surveillance and identified the woman who allegedly set the donation box on fire as Theresa Abichaker of West Roxbury.
After a search including K9 and drone units, she was located and placed under arrest.
She has been charged with three counts of burning in public building; three counts of attempting to burn in a public building; vandalizing property; and fire negligence.
She is scheduled to be arraigned in Westborough District Court on Monday, Nov. 27, and is being held on $25,000 bail.
On Monday morning, the police had placed several fans in the lobby to dissipate the smell of smoke.
According to Deputy Police Chief Steven B. Tompkins, the fire itself did not cause much damage, but the water damage “could be significant.”
