By Erin Mathews
The Salina Journal
SALINA, Kan. — A Salina man was sentenced to two years and five months in prison Monday for using a propane torch to light a fire that caused thousands of dollars in damage to another man’s apartment.
Robert E. Walker, 39, had pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of one felony count of arson in connection with the Oct. 24 fire in an apartment at Windsor Apartments, 500 E. Crawford.
At his sentencing Monday, Walker denied having started the fire but said he entered the plea because he would rather serve the sentence than fight the accusation.
“I didn’t want to be sitting in jail fighting this,” he said. “I don’t have much life left to fight this.”
Attorney Richard Comfort, who represented Walker, said Walker acknowledged the state had a factual basis for the charge when he entered his plea, and the charge against him was reduced from aggravated arson.
Walker is scheduled for a hearing at 3 p.m. Feb. 11 to determine the amount of restitution owed. Prosecutor Jeff Adam, an assistant county attorney, said work is under way to repair damage to the building, which is currently estimated to cost $20,000.
Walker will have a year of post-release supervision and was ordered to pay $195 in court costs, a $200 DNA testing fee, $200 for the services of his attorney and $100 for a legal administration fee.
Walker said he had multiple ailments, injuries and mental health problems that would affect his ability to maintain employment and to pay any court-ordered fees and restitution.
According to an affidavit written at the time of Walker’s arrest, police and firefighters were called to Paul J. Smith’s apartment Oct. 24. Smith told a police investigator that he had invited a person he knew as “Bobby” over to his apartment, and then Smith had fallen asleep in the living room while Bobby was in the back bedroom and bathroom area.
Smith said Bobby woke him up, telling him they needed to get out of the apartment, and then ran out, according to the affidavit.
Smith said he looked toward the bedroom and saw light flickering. When he entered the room, he saw the foot of the bed was on fire, according to the affidavit.
Smith went to the bathroom to get a towel to beat out the fire and found that the bathroom trash can was also on fire. While attempting to put out both fires, he found a propane torch emitting flame. When Smith attempted to turn off the torch, he burned his hand, according to the affidavit.
On Oct. 25, a police lieutenant located Walker, who matched Smith’s description of Bobby, according to the affidavit.
Walker told the lieutenant that he had been at Smith’s apartment and saw that the side of the bed was on fire. He said Smith started the fire. When interviewed later by other officers, Walker said that when he left Smith’s apartment nothing was on fire and he knew nothing about a fire.
More than a dozen residents of other apartments in the building were temporarily relocated as a precaution in case of gas buildup, a fire investigator said at the time of the blaze.
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