A Plymouth Township man will be sentenced Oct. 17 after being found guilty of arson in the fire that destroyed his home in 2019.
Patrick Nolan, 42, is facing life in prison following the guilty verdict in Third Circuit Court of one count of arson of an insured dwelling and one count of second-degree arson. Each charge also carries a potential fine of $20,000 or three times the value of the destroyed property, whichever is greater, according to court records.
Following the 2 a.m. fire Jan. 1, 2019 at a home Nolan owned in the 50000 block of Sheffield Court, investigators from both the fire and police departments determined that gasoline had been poured throughout the home and deliberately ignited at three areas of the house. Fires had been started in the master bedroom, a basement storage room and in a hall at the top of the basement stairs, according to prosecutors from the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Investigators were able to obtain information from a system in Nolan's truck to place him at the home just prior to the blaze, according to court filings.
Nolan filed an insurance claim for damages to the home. There was no one in the house during the fire and no injuries were reported, according to authorities.
“Every arson represents another instance where our firefighters and first responders risk their lives to protect public safety, and that's an unacceptable danger to our communities,” Nessel said.
