Georgia man gets 140 years in prison for restaurant arson
Court found 37-year-old Roland Croyle guilty but mentally ill
Agusta, Georgia: A Georgia man who crashed his vehicle into a restaurant where he once worked and set it on fire amid the lunchtime rush has been convicted of arson.
Jurors in Richmond County Superior Court found 37-year-old Roland Croyle guilty but mentally ill Friday on 24 counts of arson, aggravated assault and criminal damage to property in the 2017 blaze.
The Augusta Chronicle reports Judge J. Wade Padgett sentenced Croyle to 140 years imprisonment.
Authorities say Croyle crashed into the Twin Peaks restaurant, then threw buckets of fuel, propane tanks and fuel-soaked blankets inside and torched it. He had worked there before being fired for drinking on the job.
Defense attorney Kelly Williamson says Croyle was depressed and wanted to end his life.
Padgett called Croyle's actions cowardly and selfish.