EPHRATA – Police have charged 70-year-old Leslie Truitt of Ephrata with arson and cruelty to animals following an investigation into a house fire on October 9th in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street in Ephrata Borough. Truitt admitted to placing belongings of a former resident in her bathtub and setting them on fire. A State Police Fire Marshal concluded that the fire was intentionally set, with the bathtub in the second-floor bathroom identified as the point of origin. During the incident, a neighbor sustained burns while helping to remove Truitt from the burning structure. Truitt, who is currently hospitalized, will be arraigned upon the completion of her treatment.
