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CEDAR CITY – A 5th District Judge ordered a 23-year-old man to prison Tuesday for setting fire to seven vehicles last January.
Judge Keith Barnes ordered Isaac James Wall to spend one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for three counts of arson, all second-degree felonies. Each count carried a sentence of one-to-15 years to run concurrent meaning he serves the sentences together rather than separate. The maximum time he will serve under this arrangement is 15 years.
“There are some acts, some things, that people do that you try to look at it in a light most favorable, in this case to you, and look at the community and what protects the community – it’s just difficult to try and find that balancing scale in this case,” Barnes said prior to sentencing.
The defendant was originally charged with six counts of arson but three were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Wall started the first fire just after midnight on Jan. 10, at the home of his estranged wife in retaliation for her filing for divorce. The rest of the fires were chosen randomly at four different locations and were failed suicide attempts.
Related:
Man arrested after 4 cars destroyed, 2 more damaged in Cedar City arson spree
Four cars were destroyed in a rash of vehicle arsons early Tuesday morning, leading to a man's arrest, police said.Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett pointed to several factors during Tuesday’s court hearing he said should be considered in deciding Wall’s sentence including: the defendant’s previous criminal record, past substance abuse and “violent history.”
Garrett argued that he believed the defendant presented a public safety risk to the community.
