A 49-year-old Maine man charged with burning down a topless coffee shop wants his trial moved.
Raymond Bellavance claims pretrial publicity will make it too hard to find an unbiased jury in Kennebec County. Bellavance is charged with setting fire to the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro last year.
According to the Kennebec Journal, Bellavance’s attorney on Monday showed Kennebec County Superior Court Justice Robert Murray eight newspaper stories featuring Bellavance that appeared between April and July.
Prosecutors objected to the motion. Murray said he would rule later.
Police say Bellavance set the fire because he was angry at his ex-girlfriend, who worked at the shop and allegedly had a relationship with the owner.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Iran Starts Bitcoin-Backed Ship Insurance for Hormuz Strait 
For Carriers, AI Can Now Mean Hyper-Personalized Customer Service, Leaders Say 
Hail to High Variance: Rethinking Test Squares and Roof Damage Assessment 
Typhoon Season in Northwest Pacific Seen Most Active in a Decade 
Want to stay up to date?
Get the latest insurance news
sent straight to your inbox.