PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — A Port Jervis woman who set fire to a residence while knowing occupants were inside has been sentenced to nine years in prison, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced Thursday.
Dawn Hulse, 53, pleaded guilty to arson in the second degree in Orange County Court earlier this year, admitting to setting multiple fires on the first floor of a two-family home on January 25, 2022. The sentence includes five years of post-release supervision.
According to court documents and statements, Hulse turned off the smoke detector in the home’s basement and barricaded the apartment’s door before igniting the fires. Residents in the upstairs apartment heard an explosion caused by a can of bug spray Hulse had placed inside an oven, which she turned on.
District Attorney Hoovler commended the City of Port Jervis Police Department for their investigation, which resulted in Hulse’s arrest. “Arson is an insidious crime that poses substantial risks to life and property,” Hoovler said. “The offenders who commit these crimes must be held accountable for their dangerous actions.”
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jessica Dovico, and Hulse’s sentence reflects the severity of the incident, which endangered the lives of others in the building.