UTFFEMT
04-22-2005, 08:47 PM
Former Kamas fireman to be sentenced in arson
A South Summit volunteer fireman who pleaded guilty to felony arson for his role in the setting of a garage fire in Kamas could be sentenced Tuesday.
Cody Sargent, 20, is accused of conspiring with a 16-year-old South Summit boy on Oct. 30, 2004, to burn a building at 290 South Main Street in Kamas.
According to court papers filed by prosecutors, Sargent allegedly admitted to Kamas police that he joked at his residence that day with friends that he was "bored and needed to go fight a fire."
"[The juvenile] told [Sargent] that he would go start a fire and he knew the perfect place," court papers state.
During an interview with investigators, the boy reportedly admitted that he and Sargent discussed setting the fire because South Summit firefighters hadn't seen much action. According to documents filed by prosecutors, the two allegedly drove around Kamas before the fire staking out "targets to burn."
"[The boy] said that he and [Sargent] then went back to the trailer and discussed their plans with the other persons present," court papers state. "[The boy] said that he then went outside the trailer and siphoned gas out of Sargent's car and put it in [a] 2-liter bottle."
The juvenile told police that Sargent drove him to the home to ignite it and then returned to his trailer to wait for a page from the fire department. The building, which hadn't been occupied for several years, was a total loss and the cost of damage was estimated at nearly $23,000.
As part of a settlement agreement, Sargent pleaded guilty to arson, a 2nd-degree felony, said his attorney, David Shapiro. The charge could be reduced to a class-A misdemeanor upon successful completion of probation.
"I don't think that [Sargent] did start the fire he was in a group of people who had done that," Shapiro said.
A person convicted of a 2nd-degree felony in Utah, could be ordered to serve between one and 15 years in prison and pay a $10,000 fine.
"I don't know what the judge is going to do," Shapiro said, adding that errors in a pre-sentencing report delayed the decision.
If the report is correct, Shapiro expects Sargent to be sentenced April 19.
"I don't know that much would be served by a lengthy jail commitment," the attorney said, adding that Sargent should be allowed to work to pay restitution.
A South Summit volunteer fireman who pleaded guilty to felony arson for his role in the setting of a garage fire in Kamas could be sentenced Tuesday.
Cody Sargent, 20, is accused of conspiring with a 16-year-old South Summit boy on Oct. 30, 2004, to burn a building at 290 South Main Street in Kamas.
According to court papers filed by prosecutors, Sargent allegedly admitted to Kamas police that he joked at his residence that day with friends that he was "bored and needed to go fight a fire."
"[The juvenile] told [Sargent] that he would go start a fire and he knew the perfect place," court papers state.
During an interview with investigators, the boy reportedly admitted that he and Sargent discussed setting the fire because South Summit firefighters hadn't seen much action. According to documents filed by prosecutors, the two allegedly drove around Kamas before the fire staking out "targets to burn."
"[The boy] said that he and [Sargent] then went back to the trailer and discussed their plans with the other persons present," court papers state. "[The boy] said that he then went outside the trailer and siphoned gas out of Sargent's car and put it in [a] 2-liter bottle."
The juvenile told police that Sargent drove him to the home to ignite it and then returned to his trailer to wait for a page from the fire department. The building, which hadn't been occupied for several years, was a total loss and the cost of damage was estimated at nearly $23,000.
As part of a settlement agreement, Sargent pleaded guilty to arson, a 2nd-degree felony, said his attorney, David Shapiro. The charge could be reduced to a class-A misdemeanor upon successful completion of probation.
"I don't think that [Sargent] did start the fire he was in a group of people who had done that," Shapiro said.
A person convicted of a 2nd-degree felony in Utah, could be ordered to serve between one and 15 years in prison and pay a $10,000 fine.
"I don't know what the judge is going to do," Shapiro said, adding that errors in a pre-sentencing report delayed the decision.
If the report is correct, Shapiro expects Sargent to be sentenced April 19.
"I don't know that much would be served by a lengthy jail commitment," the attorney said, adding that Sargent should be allowed to work to pay restitution.