Brown pleads guilty to arson |
| September 17, 2013 |
|
Gary Lee Brown, 19, Bonners Ferry, entered a
plea of guilty earlier this month to
second-degree arson for a string of early
morning fires set July 16 in Copeland, burning
several tons of hay, a storage shed and farm
equipment. To read the original article, click here. Two boys who were with him, both minors, have been charged with minor in possession of alcohol, but will not face felony charges. In signing the plea, Brown wrote, "I feel I need to man up and take the actions I have caused and the consequences." The admission came after a plea agreement with prosecutors that could spare him prison and saw misdemeanor charges of DUI and minor in possession of alcohol dropped. In his own words, the plea agreement calls for him to pay restitution for all damages, a suspended prison term of three to six years, a minimum of four years supervised probation, $500 fine and court costs, 90 days in jail with work release, 30 of those days on the sheriff's inmate labor program in lieu of jail. It also calls for him, he wrote, to consult on burglaries that occurred in the Eastport area. Brown, who is free on $101,000 bond, is set to be sentenced at 9 a.m. October 25. The maximum penalty for second-degree arson in Idaho is 15 years in prison and up to a $75,000 fine. |