An Albrightsville woman entered a guilty plea in Carbon County court on Tuesday, admitting she set a house of fire after seeing a photo of her boyfriend with his ex-wife.

Danielle Marie Dolhon, 27, pleaded to one count of risking a catastrophe, a felony 3, for the house fire and also pleaded to a charge of insurance fraud, when she and the homeowner submitted a claim for damages the fire caused.

In exchange for the pleas the district attorney’s office dropped a felony 1 arson and felony 3 reckless burning charges.

Chief Public Defender Paul J. Levy said the original plan was to have Dolhon plead guilty but mentally ill, but that was not an option after a psychiatrist, who examined the defendant and submitted a lengthy report, said that although Dolhon suffers from mental illness, hers does not meet the criteria required by law for such a plea.

Levy said she is receiving treatment for her mental health issues and continues regular counseling.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by state police at Fern Ridge state police:

At 2:13 p.m. June 18, 2020, state police were dispatched to the 200 block of McKuen Way, Penn Forest Township, to assist the Penn Forest Township Fire Department with a fire inside the home.

Dolhon contacted 911 after finding a fire in the second-floor hallway of the residence of the home owned by Elizabeth and Mark Ruch, who are separated. Mark Ruch lived at the residence with Dolhon. Dolhon, alone in the residence at the time, fled to the attic and was rescued by firefighters and taken by ambulance to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.

The fire marshal determined that the fire started in the second-floor hallway near the top of the steps, where there was a small pile of charred debris. The charred remains included numerous aluminum cans, clothing and garbage material, including the remains of cardboard and a pile of hair were located. Also located among the debris was the remains of a hair iron with the power cord wrapped around the iron having sustained minor fire impact.

The remains of a wicker basket, two watches, a lady’s ring, identified as belonging to Dolhon, and a copper-colored charm necklace were found within the debris.

The fire was determined to be arson.

Dolhon was interviewed by police and admitted to setting the fire. She said she lit crinkled up paper in the pile of garbage in the second-floor hallway with a grill lighter from her bedroom. She said that she started the fire after becoming angry after discovering a picture of her boyfriend and his ex-wife in his office.

Dolhon told the court, “I’m very sorry for what I did. My mental health issues are not an excuse for what I did.”

Serfass placed Dolhon on probation for 24 months on each count with the terms running consecutively. He also ordered her to render 100 hours of community service, make restitution of $3,627.97 for Nationwide Insurance, supply a DNA sample, continue with her counseling, pay court costs of over $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while in probation.