Former Firefighter in Northampton and Lehigh Counties Gets Jail Time for Arson Fires

A former firefighter in Northampton and Lehigh counties will spend time in jail for setting several brush fires and trying to ignite a barn.

Cory Praschyk, 21, of Bethlehem was ordered Monday to serve one to two years in jail by Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg. The judge shaved one day off both the minimum and maximum sentences to allow Praschyk to serve his time in county jail instead of state prison.

Praschyk was also fined $500 and ordered to serve five years of probation after his jail term.

He pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit arson, a felony.

His co-defendant, Nicolle H. Balliet, 20, of Allentown, pleaded guilty in July to the same charge and was sentenced last month to 71/2 to 23 months in Lehigh County Prison. Steinberg ordered Balliet to also perform 100 hours of community service and serve two years of probation following her jail term.

South Whitehall police charged the pair with setting several brush fires in the township and in North Whitehall and Upper Macungie townships in April.

They were arrested April 7 after they were found near a brush fire in South Whitehall, according to court documents. Their vehicle was seen a day earlier at another brush fire on Park Lane in Upper Macungie, near the border of the two townships, authorities said.

Praschyk has told investigators he was a volunteer firefighter with several agencies in Northampton and Lehigh counties.

Authorities said the pair were driving around in Praschyk's vehicle, which had blue overhead emergency lights, when they lit the fires.

South Whitehall police said the two used emergency road flares and a fireplace lighter to set brush fires in the area of Minnich Road, Albright Avenue, Focht Avenue and Cedar Crest Boulevard.

The pair also admitted to attempting to ignite a South Whitehall barn by throwing a flare into a second-floor storage area, and said they vandalized several vehicles, roads and buildings with yellow paint, according to court documents.

Praschyk this month also admitted in Northampton County Court to setting two brush fires on Granger Road in Lehigh Township in July 2010. He's scheduled to be sentenced in Northampton County next month.

After Praschyk was arrested for the Lehigh County arsons, he admitted to setting the fires in Northampton County, police said.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service