In March of 2025 a well-known dentist’s office exploded in the town of Evergreen, Alabama, near the Florida line.
Today, the owner of that office, a dentist described as “very successful” and a “very nice guy,” is in jail, charged with arson and insurance fraud in connection with the explosion and fire.
Dr. Douglas P. O’Connor, who turns 56 in February, “did knowingly and unlawfully commit the crime of insurance fraud by knowingly and with intent to defraud, conceal material information” presented to his property insurance company, reads the arrest warrant, filed in District Court in Conecuh County.
O’Connor intentionally damaged the building on Hillcrest Drive in Evergreen by starting a fire, reads a second warrant against the dentist, signed by a special agent with the Alabama Attorney General’s office.
The state Fire Marshal’s Office posted on social media that the investigation took 10 months. O’Connor turned himself in on Friday and was being held in the Conecuh County Jail.
Fire officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and further details on the alleged arson and fraud, including the insurance carrier that insured the property and business, were not immediately available.
“The building literally exploded,” and fire investigators quickly determined that the fire was suspicious, said Robert Bozeman III, publisher and editor of the Evergreen Courant newspaper in town. O’Connor, who is listed with a home address in Troy, Alabama, about 75 miles away, was apparently near his office when the explosion occurred. He was burned and drove himself to the hospital in his Tesla, Bozeman explained.
Bozeman said he has known O’Connor since the dentist bought the dental practice from another practice many years ago. Most people in town were surprised that O’Connor could be involved in the alleged crime, given that his practice was popular in the area, and he appeared to live a healthy lifestyle.
“It was a very successful practice. That’s what blew my mind” when news of the arrest spread last week, Bozeman said.
Court documents did not describe a possible motive for the alleged fraud. “Maybe he just got overloaded,” Bozeman said. “Something like that usually involves money.”
The dental office was situated next to an Alabama State Troopers office on one side and a liquor store on the other, not far from Interstate 65. A worker at the liquor store said Tuesday that the fire happened about 9:30 p.m. and did not damage the liquor store. Video of the blast is probably available from the nearby offices, Bozeman said.
The Fire Marshal’s office recorded 14 arson-related arrests in Alabama in 2023 and 14 in 2024, according to the office’s recent annual reports.
Top photo: The office as it looked before the explosion (Google Maps)
Topics
Fraud
Alabama
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