22 Years for Former FF convicted of Arson

[Monty 35]

Convicted arsonist sentenced to 22 years. I'd have updated one of the other topics on the fire but they are all closed.

Incident Alert, Pictures, Charges, More charges.

From WTEN:

22 Years in Jail: Judge has Harsh Words for Former Cohoes Firefighter

July 18, 2007 05:06 PM

It is 22 years in state prison for a former local firefighter, convicted of starting the fire that burned down the Brant Lake General Store.

He says he did it because a teenage girl he had a sexual relationship with was living above the store at the time. NEWS10 was the only station at his sentencing Wednesday. NEWS10's Dori Marlin has more from inside the courtroom.

Brian Hodges, a former volunteer firefighter with the Bought Fire Company, said nothing at his sentencing in Warren County Court, only looking on as Judge John Hall gave this assessment: "It's obvious that you present a grave danger to the community."

Last summer, Hodges started a fire at the Brant Lake General Store - a landmark for more than a century on Route 8. The reason: a teenager he had a sexual relationship with was living upstairs, and he thought the fire would force her to move closer to where he was living, so they could continue the affair.

But also living there at the time were five other people, including family members of Hodges who owned the store, and were inside when he set the fire overnight. Fortunately, they all managed to make it out alive - able to offer their accounts Wednesday.

"The shock, horror, and heart-wrenching loss is almost too much to bare," one of the victim's tells NEWS10.

"I don't understand how someone could do something so horrific because of his own selfishness," another victim tells us.

That question was posed in a victim impact statement, also addressed by the judge.

"I can't decide whether you're just extremely narcissistic as a person, who's willing to risk lives of six people that you knew, so that you could continue an illicit affair," Judge Hall told Hodges.

And with that, Judge Hall sentenced Hodges to 22 years in prison, which he will serve after his one-and-a-third to four-year term, for having sex with the underage girl.

Hopefully this might act as a deterrent to anyone who might consider doing something like this in the future.

[ex-commish 490]

Arson and sex with a teen age girl??? Not enough time in my book. This parasite should never walk free again.