MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN TWO-ALARM WEST-SIDE WAREHOUSE FIRE THAT CAUSED MILLIONS IN DAMAGES

Posted on 5/25/2016

Defendant: Robin Wallace Toms

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said, “Fortunately no one was injured by this fire, however it required between 50-100 firefighters to fight the blaze”.  Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced that Robin Wallace Toms, age 30, plead guilty today to one count of Arson (F-4), one count of Vandalism (F-3), and one count of Breaking and Entering (F-5), in connection to the two-alarm fire reported in the early morning hours of December 14, 2015.  “The fire at the SJT Depot warehouse, located at 2662 Fisher Road on the west-side, destroyed about 80% of the building,” O’Brien commented.  “The destruction put dozens of people out of work, forced two schools to be closed for the day, and the total losses are in the millions,” O’Brien further stated.  As part of the plea, Toms will be required to register as an arson offender for the rest of his life.  O’Brien said, “Even though none of the charges in the indictment carry mandatory prison time, as a condition of the plea, both the defense and prosecution have made a recommendation for a prison sentence.  The judge ordered a pre-sentence investigation, and Toms is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30th, 2016.  He faces up to 66 months in prison”.