Maureen Therese Doubek, the owner of the Red Roof Cafe in Helena, is accused of playing a role in the fire that destroyed the building in October of 2018.
Doubek, 58 years old, has been charged with one count of felony conspiracy, or in the alternative, one count of felony accountability to arson.
Brad Richardson was charged with arson for the Red Roof Cafe fire in July 2019.
Firefighters say when they arrived they found evidence that the fire had been intentionally sparked, including combustible material stacked around an open burner on a hot water heater, a burned mattress, and a mattress blocking the rear entrance.
Court documents in Richardson’s case allege that he had met with the Doubek and offered to burn the restaurant down for a portion of the insurance money.
Those documents also state she told law enforcement that she declined the offer.
Doubek will make her plea before District Court on August 28th.
(JULY 3, 2019) A 36 year-old Helena man is accused of burning down a restaurant on Helena’s west side.
Brad Richardson has been charged with one count of arson and one count of conspiracy from an October 2018 fire at the Red Roof Cafe building on the 1900 block Euclid Avenue.
Firefighters say when they arrived they found evidence that the fire had been intentionally lit, including combustible material stacked around an open burner on a hot water heater, a burned mattress and a mattress blocking the rear entrance.
Court records say investigators learned of the suspect the following month when Richardson went to a relative of the building’s owner and demanded money.
Richardson lived in a trailer to the north of the restaurant and, according to the owner, watched the property following the eviction of the previous tenants.
Prosecutors say in court documents that Richardson had met with the restaurant’s owner previously and offered to burn the restaurant down for a portion of the insurance money.
The owner says she declined the offer.
Two witnesses told investigators that Richardson admitted to setting the fire, and that he had details that only someone who committed the act would have known.
Court records say Richardson claims he conspired with the building’s owner to burn it down.
The judge set bond at $50,000.
