Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of setting fire to another man's home in Orrington and attempting to kill him.
Although he goes by several aliases, court documents indicate that folks in the Bangor area know 24-year-old Oscar Nunez as a drug dealer. It's gotten him in trouble before as he's currently in jail in Massachusetts on a drug trafficking charge. Now, he's facing more charges in Maine.
District Attorney Chris Almy said, "They all arise out of a dispute he was having with another drug dealer. He was upset with this individual, he threatened him with a gun in June."
Then on July 22, police say Nunez and an accomplice went to the man's home in Orrington, poured gasoline around the building, and lit it on fire.
"As they were leaving in their vehicle, shots were fired at the house that had just been set on fire," explained Almy.
Nunez is charged with aggravated attempted murder, arson, and two counts of criminal threatening. Authorities say DNA evidence and a gun found at Nunez's home in Verona Island linked him to the crime.
"It was clear that the way this crime was committed that the perpetrator, Mr. Nunez, was intent on doing significant harm or death to the people inside," said Almy.
The investigation also led to the arrests of Nunez's girlfriend, Ana De Los Santos, and the victim in the July 22 incident, David Ireland. Both are facing drug charges. Police say Ireland admitted to them he had been working for Nunez. Ireland said he was hired to drive Nunez and another man around to sell drugs.
Although an arrest warrant has been issued for Nunez, it's unclear when he'll be prosecuted in Maine.
"When you have jurisdictions that have serious charges against an individual it's difficult to tell exactly when, at what point in time, Massachusetts will be satisfied to let him come to Maine and face these charges," said Almy.
The aggravated attempted murder charge and the arson charge both come with a maximum penalty of 30 years behind bars. Nunez denies having anything to do with the crimes.
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