Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Friday that an Evergreen dentist has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to intentionally burning his own dental practice and attempting to collect insurance money to cover his mounting debts.
Conecuh County Circuit Judge Jack Weaver sentenced Douglas Patrick O'Connor to 15 years with three years to serve on two felony counts: second-degree arson and first-degree insurance fraud.
O'Connor pleaded guilty to both charges on February 3.
Surveillance video from neighboring businesses captured O'Connor's actions on the night of March 28, 2025. The footage showed him arriving at his closed dental office late on a Friday evening and entering and exiting the building multiple times. At approximately 9:48 p.m., he stood in the back doorway, struck a match and threw it inside, triggering an explosion within seconds.
The blast destroyed the dental practice and caused more than $63,000 in damage to the Alabama State Trooper Post next door. Forensic testing confirmed the presence of gasoline on O'Connor's clothing from that evening and on the floor of the burned office.
Investigators found that O'Connor had accumulated significant debt and exhausted his ability to secure additional loans before setting the fire. Prosecutors presented evidence he burned the practice to collect an insurance payout and use the proceeds to pay his 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,” Marshall said.
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