Sep. 21--A former volunteer firefighter accused of burning down three barns in Northampton County has pleaded guilty to felony charges that could send him to state prison -- as has his accomplice.
Justin A. Emmons and Samantha R. Keeney face sentencing in December after admitting to an arson spree that struck three communities before they were arrested in April.
Emmons, a 19-year-old former Northampton Borough volunteer firefighter, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that include three counts of causing a catastrophe and one count of arson. Keeney, 24, also of Northampton admitted to three counts of conspiracy and one of arson.
Police said that over two weeks at the end of March, the pair burned down barns at 3645 Cedar Drive and 786 Fir Drive in Lehigh Township and at 4413 Cherryville Road in Allen Township, destroying crops, farm equipment and livestock.
They also twice struck at the East 10th Street, Northampton, home of two women who Emmons knew, lighting a car there on fire March 23, then returning six days later and burning up a truck, according to court records.
Assistant District Attorney James Augustine estimated the damages in the "high tens of thousands," if not higher, but said he needs to speak further to the fires' victims about their losses. He said Keeney and Emmons' motives remain unclear. "I don't know," Augustine said. "They weren't forthcoming with that information."
According to court records, the police investigation revealed that Emmons had lost his job with a Lehigh Township farmer, Glen Heiny, a week before the fires began. The first two blazes were set in barns where Heiny stored his equipment, authorities said. The pair, who have no prior record, will be sentenced Dec. 6 by President Judge Michael Koury Jr.
Prosecutors will be seeking state prison, and Augustine said he has suggested a potential term of two to four years, followed by a long period of probation. Emmons' defense attorney, George Nassif, said he expects more details about his client to be revealed at that hearing. "I'm going to have to let it come out of his mouth," Nassif said, in declining to discuss Emmons' motivations.
An attorney for Keeney could not be reached Friday afternoon. In their investigation of Keeney and Emmons, authorities highlighted other suspicious fires at the time, including a March 24 barn fire on Clearview Road in North Whitehall Township and a March 29 brush fire on Quincy Road in Lehigh Township.
No charges have been filed against the pair in connection with those blazes, according to court records. Morning Call reporter Riley Yates can be reached at 610-253-5751 or [email protected].
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