By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

A Saco man has been charged with failing to obtain a building permit for a porch that collapsed last month, injuring six people.
The Biddeford Code Enforcement Office concluded its investigation into the cause of the deck collapse Dec. 26 at 13 Western Ave. Gordon Mailman, 58, of Saco, who owns the building, was charged Jan. 7 with failing to obtain a building permit before construction, a violation of the city’s Code of Ordinances, according to Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk.
Fines for the civil violation range from $100 to $2,500. Mailman is expected to appear in Biddeford District Court on April 21, Fisk said.
The city hired structural engineer Timothy Shelley of Shelley Engineering Inc. of Westbrook to determine the cause of the collapse. The collapse was caused by “an inadequate connection of the deck ledger to the building,” according to Shelley. A deck ledger is a board that attaches a deck to the building structure.
Mailman did not return phone calls seeking comment.
In a separate but related investigation, Biddeford police charged 40-year-old George Jones with furnishing a place for minors to consume or possess liquor. His son, 20-year-old Marktese Frazier, also of Biddeford, was charged with furnishing liquor to a minor, according to Fisk. Both charges are misdemeanors.
Fisk said Jones was the lessee of the second-floor apartment on Western Avenue and was allegedly present while underage drinking occurred. Frazier allegedly supplied alcohol to minors who attended a party at the apartment the night of the collapse, she said.
Jones and Frazier are scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on April 21.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.