An Alabama dentist was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to intentionally causing an explosion at his dental practice to collect insurance money.
Douglas O’Connor, DMD, was charged in January with second-degree arson and first-degree insurance fraud. The arrest came after a 10-month-long investigation into an explosion at his practice in Evergreen, Ala.
Surveillance video from nearby businesses showed Dr. O’Connor arriving at practice on the night of March 28 and entering and exiting the building multiple times. He later struck a match and threw it inside, causing an explosion. Forensic testing confirmed the presence of gasoline on Dr. O’Connor’s clothing from that night and on the floor of the office, according to a March 6 news release from the attorney general’s office.
Dr. O’Connor reportedly caused the explosion intentionally to collect an insurance payout to pay creditors back after accumulating significant debt.
