Almost one year ago, an Alabama dentist was captured on surveillance video setting fire to his dental office in Evergreen, triggering an explosion that destroyed the building and slightly injured the dentist.
Last week, Dr. Douglas P. O’Connor was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He will likely serve three years behind bars, the Alabama attorney general said.
“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 Steve Marshall said in a statement.
The explosion and the January 2026 arrest of O’Connor surprised many in the south-central Alabama community. Residents noted that the dental practice, in operation for two decades, was very successful, O’Connor was considered a nice guy and was involved in the community…