PORTLAND — Carol Field apologized in court Tuesday for setting a string of fires last year in York and Cumberland counties, but the grandmother from Standish shed no more light on what prompted her to commit arson.

“I want to say to the victims, I’m very sorry … I’m sorry I committed those actions,” she said in brief remarks to the court.

Additional Photos

Carol Field and her attorney, J.P. DeGrinney, appear for her sentencing hearing in Cumberland County Superior Court on Tuesday. John Patriquin / Staff Photographer

Field, 66, was sentenced for three counts of arson in Cumberland County and three counts in York County. In accordance with a plea agreement, Superior Court Justice Roland Cole gave her a combination of sentences that amounts to four years of incarceration.

Field’s lawyer has estimated that she will likely be in prison for two years, given the time she has already served and the deductions she can earn for good behavior.

Arson carries a maximum penalty of 30 years, though the sentence is typically less when no one is injured.

The fires that Field admitted to setting targeted the Raymond Hill Baptist Church, a building at Randall’s Orchard in Standish, a grassy area in Standish, an abandoned house in Limerick, a barn and a workshop in Limerick, and a garage in Limington. No one was hurt.

Field’s mental health has been an issue in the case since soon after her arrest in September 2011. She was evaluated and treated at the state-run Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta, and her struggles with anxiety and depression came up in court proceedings.

Field admitted, under questioning, to setting 18 fires and told investigators she did it because she had cared for others her entire life and no one cared for or paid attention to her, said Cumberland County Assistant District Attorney Angela Cannon at a hearing last week.

Cannon said Tuesday that she had no information about Field’s motivation beyond that statement.

Field has declined requests for interviews, most recently one conveyed through her lawyer Tuesday.

Victims in the case expressed hope the Field will get help.

Jim Brackett, who owns the barn and workshop in Limerick, didn’t attend Tuesday’s hearing because he thought it would be too emotionally difficult, said York County Deputy District Attorney Justina McGettigan.

The prosecutor read a statement from Brackett, describing what was lost when fire destroyed what his family had built up on its farm over three generations. He compared the loss to a “full-leg amputation at the hip.”

Field was given a total of 16 years of suspended prison time, and will be on probation for eight years after her release. The conditions of her probation will include a ban on incendiary devices, the possibility of random searches, psychological counseling and a requirement to take all prescribed medications.

J.P. DeGrinney, Field’s court-appointed lawyer, said the most important part of the sentence is continued supervision after her release.

“It will be a very short leash Ms. Field will be on,” he said.

Field’s daughter, Lisa Henry of North Waterboro, said after the sentencing that the case has been devastating for the family.

Field is an adoring and adored grandmother who cared for her own ailing parents until they died, and someone who always put others before herself, Henry said.

In telephone conversations from jail, Henry said, Field still reminds family members to pay their bills and asks about her poodles, now in Henry’s care.

“She’s taken care of all of us,” Henry said.

A group of relatives attended the sentencing. At the end of the hearing, marshals allowed her to say good-bye to each one before taking her out of the courtroom. There were embraces, kisses and tears.

“Keep strong, OK?” Henry told her mother.

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

akim@pressherald.com

Twitter: AnnKimPPH

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