Plea deal reached in Coatesville arson case

  

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - November 19, 2009 -- A former assistant fire chief accused of setting two small fires in an arson-plagued steel town near Philadelphia has worked out a plea bargain freeing him from jail.

Chester County Judge Anthony Sarcione says the plea deal for Robert Tracey Jr. is a surprise. The 37-year-old Coatesville man got a sentence of the 242 days he has already served to 23 months in prison. Sarcione says he would never consider such a short sentence Tracey had been convicted at trial. But Sarcione approved the deal Thursday after both sides referred to the risk of going to trial.

Tracey admitted setting fire to a porch seat cushion in March, then trying to ignite a trash can three blocks away.

Tracey is one of seven suspects arrested in connection with a rash of fires in Coatesville and nearby communities that began in February 2008.

Get more Local/State »

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•