Montgomery, Ala. (WDNews) — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that an Evergreen dentist has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to setting fire to his own dental office and attempting to collect insurance money.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Douglas Patrick O’Connor was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Circuit Judge Jack B. Weaver of Conecuh County. The sentence includes three years to serve on two felony counts: second-degree arson and first-degree insurance fraud. O’Connor pleaded guilty to both charges on Feb. 3, 2026.
Investigators said surveillance video from nearby businesses captured O’Connor’s actions on the night of March 28, 2025. The footage reportedly showed him arriving at his closed dental office late on a Friday evening and entering and exiting the building several times. Authorities said that around 9:48 p.m., O’Connor stood in the back doorway, struck a match and threw it inside, triggering an explosion seconds later.
The explosion destroyed the dental practice and caused more than $63,000 in damage to the Alabama State Trooper Post located next door. Forensic testing later confirmed the presence of gasoline on O’Connor’s clothing from that evening and on the floor of the burned office.
Investigators determined that O’Connor had accumulated significant debt and had exhausted his ability to secure additional loans before the fire. Prosecutors said evidence showed he burned the practice in an attempt to collect an insurance payout and use the proceeds to pay creditors.
“Alabamians put their trust in doctors to do no harm. Dr. O’Connor shattered that trust in the most deliberate way possible. He set fire to his own practice, endangered the lives of those next door and attempted to defraud his insurance company to cover years of reckless spending,” Attorney General Marshall said.
The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Criminal Trials Division. Assistant Attorneys General Clark Morris, Brad Felton and Sara Rogan represented the state.
Marshall also credited the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Alabama Department of Insurance, the Evergreen Police Department, Special Agent Robert Stuart and Special Agent Richard Windham for their work on the investigation.
