Ex-firefighter gets prison time for arson spree

David Donnora, 25, was sent to state prison for four to 10 years on charges of arson and burglary and was ordered to pay $96,000 in restitution

June 04, 2015 08:34 AM

The Citizens’ Voice

DUPONT, Pa. — A former Dupont volunteer firefighter was sentenced Wednesday to up to 10 years in prison for a fire-setting spree that damaged five properties.

Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas sentenced David Donnora, 25, of Pittston, to state prison for four to 10 years on charges of arson and burglary and ordered him to pay $96,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty to the charges in March.

Before the sentence was handed down, Assistant District Attorney Michelle Hardik advised Lupas of how Donnora’s behavior escalated, starting with setting small fires before moving on to setting larger ones.

Lupas said although Donnora accepted responsibility with his guilty plea, the sentence reflects the serious nature of the crime.

Donnora was arrested in January 2013 after implicating himself in 13 arsons in Dupont, Laflin and Pittston Township since May 2012. State police charged him in five that caused property damage; the other eight were brush fires.

Donnora had served as a probationary member with the Laflin Volunteer Fire Department and worked with the Dupont Volunteer Fire Department.

While Donnora was a firefighter in Laflin, there were seven suspicious brush fires throughout the spring and summer, including one in which he was the only member of the department to arrive at the correct location because 911 mistakenly dispatched crews to the wrong address.

After his transfer to Dupont, his fellow firefighters grew more suspicious when he was the first firefighter to arrive at the fire station for a fire in December 2012. State police Fire Marshal Ron Jarocha, who eventually ruled the fire an arson, took note of Donnora following him with keen interest.

Jarocha asked firefighters what they thought occurred and Donnora offered “evasive” answers, according to the charges. Donnora initially told police he responded so quickly because he was on his way to the gym when the fire call came out. He later admitted to setting fire to a back porch, going home and then rushing to the fire station, police said.

Donnora had remained free on unsecured bail, but following his sentencing, he was taken into custody and led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.