Man Pleads Guilty To Charge In Fire

A man accused of arson pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge, said a Kootenai County prosecutor.

Randell E. Williams pleaded guilty to accessory to arson for a fire that burned his friend’s Harrison, Idaho, home in September 1994.

Deputy Prosecutor Lansing Haynes said the crime “accessory to arson” means Williams knew that an arson was committed and concealed it.

Williams, who had originally been charged with first-degree arson, pleaded guilty in exchange for the charge being reduced to the lesser crime, Haynes said.

Williams could face up to five years in prison.

According to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s report, Williams had been staying in his friend’s log home on Jenny Lane. On the night of the fire, the homeowner, Rodney Perry, fell asleep in a separate building.

Williams told the homeowner that he tried to start a fire in the wood stove by using gasoline. Williams said the fire accidentally got out of control, according to the report.

, DataTimes