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till) ;u ii-ian* lend ex-erv-thees-wermil-arliOllgust-cs-Se-tlie out -FIRE BUG GIVENSTIFF SENTENCESTARTED $168,000 FOREST FIRE OUT OF SPITE; GETS 21/2 TO 10 YEARSLansing— Officials of the state forest lire organization today expressed the view that the prison term given the convicted “fire bug”, in the $168,-000 Presque Isle state forest fire “was a stiff sentence, clearly indicating that incendiarists will . continue to suffer hard times . in Michigan , courts.suit ,\ sentence of two and one-half topaySe-t’ewl»ayideicelat-ireri10 years was handed out to Fred R.• • •Sliimel, (naway. following his conviction of starting the fire which, early in May. swept through 28,000 acres in parts of three northeastern Michigan counties.Conservation department officials attending the court proceedings in Montmorency county said the reprimand handed out by Circuit Judge Fred Smith “was one to be long remembered for its severe language. - Forest fire authorities predicted id further cooperation of the Judiciary with prosecution and prevention efforts in connection with “set fires. They pointed out * that* the prison term in the present case* was matched by sentences given four yearn ago in the aftermath of the last previous large incendiary blaze.Mert McClure, Roscommon, regional supervisor for the conservation department, declared, “This Sliimel case shows that judges in different c rcuit court districts are in accord on punishments necessary for such ofens-ep-rictlur-ci-nersen1 nd ing ub-of er, yernt yhatuleledur-tndLirees.McClure said Judge Smith upbraided the defendant for gross carelessness and for maliciously directing his spite against a private prooerty owner with the result that considerable public property was damaged and lives endangered. Officials explained that two fire fighters were hospitalized for injuries suffered when escaping from a “trap of rushing flames.
Newspaper Details
Bessemer Herald
Bessemer, Michigan, US
Fri, Aug 11, 1939
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Library O.
MI, USA 16 Jan 2018
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