A Leominster, Massachusetts, woman facing arson charges after she allegedly set fire to her neighbor's home following a long-running feud is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Friday.
Linda Sbrogna, 54, was arrested Monday night and charged with setting fire to a home at 51 Douglas Ave. in Leominster, the state Fire Marshal said. She is also charged with breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony.
Monday's fire was set around 6:30 p.m., and Sbrogna was arrested about 20 minutes later.
Police said they first learned about an alleged feud between Sbrogna and the victims who live adjacent to her home after a suspicious porch and deck fire at the victim's home on Saturday. Another fire at the home in late November is also under investigation.
At her arraignment Tuesday, Sbrogna didn't have any comment as she was led into court.
Her neighbor and alleged victim, Paul Legere, had plenty to say.
"She was berating my fiancée on a daily basis," he said.
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Legere said there were daily fights about lawn care and noise that caused a daily divide between his home and Sbrogna’s.
But it wasn't until two unexplained fires earlier in the last few weeks that he decided to install cameras for extra security.
"I put up cameras on the side to protect myself to see if I could catch anybody who was doing this," he said.
Sbrogna reportedly told police she had walked up the home's back stairs, through an unlocked back door and into the house, where she then took a handheld lighter to a rug and set it on fire. Officers noted in the report they found a lighter on Sbrogna, which has since been taken as evidence.
According to court documents, Sbrogna was identified using video footage which showed her walking through the same path in the snow previously discovered following Saturday's fire. Investigators are still attempting to process additional camera footage.
The damage has made the home unlivable and only added to a feud that seems far from over.
"Everything inside is destroyed and we are basically homeless, so we just want to get this resolved and moved on," said Legere.
Monday's fire was investigated by Leominster authorities, along with state police assigned to the state Fire Marshal's office.
Prosecutors also asked Tuesday for Sbronga to undergo a mental health evaluation. It's unclear if she has an attorney.
