The Arrest
Our client was arrested for first degree arson for intentionally setting a fire inside his family home. Unfortunately, he has a long history of alcoholism and depression. One evening he had too much to drink and suffered a mental break. After an argument with his wife, he set fire to he and his wife’s bed. He was able to put the fire out before the home was severely damaged, but the fire department responded and he admitted to setting the fire. Because he intentionally set the fire inside their home, he was arrested for arson.
The Resolution
Our client’s family was proactive and reached out to our firm right away. At that time, our client was being held on a $100,000.00 bond. We met with our client and talked to him about what he was going through. Both our client and his family wanted him to get help for his underlying substance and mental health issues, but they were also worried about him going to prison. Arson is a first degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. We worked with the family and were able to locate a facility that accepted the family’s insurance. We were able to convince the judge and State Attorney’s Office to allow our client to be released on supervised ROR so long as did not consume alcohol and he got treatment. This meant the family did not have to post a bond. We were able to get our client into in-patient treatment within a week. The counseling paid off. After our client successfully completed treatment, the State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges.