Former Maryland volunteer firefighter sentenced for setting fire to vacant houses

BALTIMORE — A former volunteer firefighter has been sentenced for his function in setting hearth to 4 vacant homes in a small Maryland city between Dec. 1, 2019, and Jan. 31, 2020, in keeping with the Workplace of the State’s Lawyer in Prince George’s County.

Jeremy Hawkins was one in every of 5 West Lanham Hills volunteer firefighters who conspired with two civilians to set hearth to the vacant homes, county officers mentioned.

He, Jay St. John, Cole Vazquez, George Smith and Nicholas Holzberger, labored alongside civilians Giancarolo Reyes and Francis Ortiz Oro to set the fires, in keeping with county officers.

Hawkins and his co-conspirators allegedly set the fires at occasions once they had been on responsibility on the hearth station and out there to take part within the hearth suppression effort.

They set the fires and in places the place the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Hearth Station would have main duty, county officers mentioned.

Nobody was damage by the fires, in keeping with county officers.

Hawkins is going through 15 years every on two counts of the indictment in opposition to him, with all however time-served suspended, adopted by three years supervised probation, and a requirement to offer 120 hours of neighborhood service, county officers mentioned.

The opposite former firefighters and the 2 civilians had been sentenced this yr, in keeping with county officers.