PA ARSON: Retired Care Manager At Dept. Of Aging Set Bathtub On Fire

While still in the hospital recovering from burns, a 70-year-old woman has been charged with arson and cruelty to animals, the Ephrata Police announced on Friday, Oct. 18.

Leslie G. Truitt, the 100 block of East Chestnut of Ephrata, is accused of "placing belongings of a former resident in her bathtub and setting them on fire," the police stated in the release.

Her teenage neighbor and his stepdad rescued her and her dogs when the fire alarms went off at 5:05 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9, as Daily Voice reported at the time.

The boy suffered second-degree burns and was also taken to the hospital for care.

"The Pennsylvania 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," the Ephrata police said.

Truitt, was still in the hospital at the time of reporting but "will be arraigned upon the completion of her treatment," the police concluded.

She is a Penn State graduate who previously was a Care Manager at Lancaster County Office of Aging before her retirement, according to her social media.

Daily Voice reached out to the court for more details on this incident, click here for our follow-up report.