EVERETT — A Snohomish County jury acquitted a Monroe woman Friday of arson and attempted arson at her Snohomish tanning salon.
Jurors were not convinced that Lori Shavlik intentionally started a fire Feb. 4, 2010, inside Tan Line in the 1200 block of Avenue D.
Shavlik denied trying to torch her own business. She and her husband owned a second tanning salon in Monroe.
This was the second trial for Shavlik, 46. A jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision last year after deliberating for about two days.
Prosecutors retried the case. They alleged that Shavlik started the fire because she was in financial trouble and owed back rent.
An employee opened the store for the day and found the business full of smoke.
Snohomish firefighters found a smoldering fire in the wall behind a clothes dryer. A can of stain remover, sponges and dryer lint were found in the wall by the dryer vent.
Defense attorney John Crowley argued that Shavlik was never in the store that morning. He also argued that the fire investigation was flawed.
Jurors started deliberating Thursday afternoon. It appeared that they had reached a verdict Thursday, but while the judge was polling them, two jurors revealed that they weren’t in agreement with the majority.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Millie Judge agreed to give the jury more time to deliberate.
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