An Evergreen dentist has been sentenced to prison after admitting he intentionally set fire to his own dental practice in an attempt to collect insurance money.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that Douglas Patrick O’Connor was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with three years to serve, after pleading guilty to second-degree arson and first-degree insurance fraud. Conecuh County Circuit Judge Jack B. Weaver issued the sentence.
O’Connor entered the guilty plea on February 3, 2026, according to the Attorney General’s office.
The charges stem from a March 28, 2025 fire at O’Connor’s dental office in Evergreen. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses captured O’Connor arriving at the closed practice late that Friday evening and entering and exiting the building multiple times.
Investigators said that at approximately 9:48 p.m., O’Connor stood in the back doorway of the office, struck a match and threw it inside, triggering an explosion within seconds.
The blast destroyed the dental practice and also caused more than $63,000 in damage to the Alabama State Trooper Post located next door, according to prosecutors.
Forensic testing later confirmed the presence of gasoline on O’Connor’s clothing from that evening and on the floor of the burned office, providing key evidence in the case.
Investigators determined that O’Connor had accumulated significant personal debt and had exhausted his ability to obtain additional loans before the fire. Prosecutors presented evidence showing he burned the office in an attempt to collect an insurance payout and use the money to pay 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.
The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Criminal Trials Division, with Assistant Attorneys General Clark Morris, Brad Felton and Sara Rogan representing the state.
Marshall also thanked investigators from the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Alabama Department of Insurance, the Evergreen Police Department, along with Special Agent Robert Stuart and Special Agent Richard Windham, for their work on the case.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
