A boy who set fire to his mother's ex-boyfriend's house has been handed five months of jail term and ordered to write an apology letter to all the people the fire affected.
Arsonist, Clyde Turner
An 18-year-old was left red-faced after a court sentenced him to five months in county jail, eight years in probation and ordered to write 200 letters of apology covering everyone affected by the fire.
Clyde Turner pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and burglary and begged to be forgiven. Turner was arrested by Pasco County sheriff deputies after he fled the scene of the incident.
Pat Siracusa, Circuit Judge ordered him to write a letter to everyone affected for a reduced sentence.
Turner was found guilty after he broke into the Extra Space Storage facility to set fire to the unit belonging to his mother's abusive ex-boyfriend but ended up setting fire to about 40 other units in the area. The fire he set spread to other units destroying valuable properties.
He wrote later, "I write this letter as an apology for my actions that have affected you and your family”,
"I could write a trillion apology letters and it wouldn't ever make up for your belongings."
While sentencing, Judge Siracusa said: "To give life to the words you wrote in those pages, get a job, work hard and do your best to make it right."
Turner still has to pay more than $500,000 in restitution, and could face up to 20 years in prison if he breaks probation.