NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
John L. Brownlee United States Attorney Brian McGinn Public Affairs Specialist |
BB&T Building 310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906 Roanoke, Virginia 24011 (540) 857-2974 FAX (540) 857-2179 |
April 8, 2008
FORMER VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO ARSON
United States Attorney John L. Brownlee announced today that Robert Andrew Lawson, age 23, of Blacksburg, Virginia, has pled guilty in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke on charges related to an arson at the Blacksburg area apartment complex where he resided.
“Mr. Lawson’s actions created a threat not only to the apartments he attempted to destroy but also to the lives of the tenants inside those apartments, many of whom were students,” U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said today. “I am pleased that this defendant has taken responsibility for his crimes and will face justice for his criminal conduct.”
According to the plea agreement entered into today in court, Lawson admits that he maliciously damaged or destroyed, and attempted to damage or destroy, by means of fire, a building or other real property. In addition, the plea agreement calls for Lawson to pay a total of $73,801.87 in restitution fees to Crum & Forster Insurance/United States Fire Insurance Co., State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., Stonemark Management and Omnicorp Realty for damages related to his actions.
The maximum penalty faced by Lawson is 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 14, 2008 at 2 p.m. in District Court in Roanoke.
Today’s guilty plea relates to a series of fires at the Terrace View Apartments in Blacksburg, Virginia. The apartment complex is made up of 880 residential units. Approximately 90 percent of the residents of Terrace View are students at Virginia Tech University.
The facts of the case are as follows:
On July 19, 2007, at approximately 9:55 p.m., members of the Blacksburg Fire Department responded to a 911 emergency call from the defendant. The defendant had reported that there was a fire in the basement common area used by tenants for storage and laundry in building 5500 of Terrace View Apartments. The fire did damage, burn, and char the structure of the real property. After extinguishing the fire, a fire code official conducted a cause and origin investigation of the fire. The official concluded, after ruling out all natural and accidental causes of ignition, that the fire originated in a storage unit in the laundry room of the apartment complex and ruled the fire as “suspicious.”
On August 31, 2007, at approximately 3:07 a.m., members of the Blacksburg Fire Department responded to a report of a fire located in building 5500 of Terrace View Apartments. After extinguishing the fire, a fire code official conducted a cause and origin investigation of the fire. The official concluded, after ruling out all natural and accidental causes of ignition, that the fire originated in the water heater room of building 5500 and that the cause of the fire was arson. The fire that resulted from the arson did damage, burn, and char the structure of the real property. While attempting to suppress the fire, police and fire fighters observed the Lawson in the area of the fire. The defendant was seen holding a portable police scanner. Following the second arson, the storage-laundry area of the 5500 building was secured.
On September 20, 2007, at approximately 4:23 a.m., members of the Blacksburg Fire Department responded to a report of a fire located in building 5100 at the Terrace View Apartments. Building 5100 is located across a small parking lot from building 5500. After extinguishing the fire, a fire code official conducted a cause and origin investigation of the fire. The Official concluded, after ruling out all natural and accidental causes of ignition, that the fire originated in the storage unit area of building 5100 and that the cause of the fire was arson. The fire that resulted from the arson did damage, burn, and char the structure of the real property. Police and fire fighters again observed Lawson at the scene of the arson, being one of the first four persons to arrive at the scene. A hydrocarbon gas detector, which is a device that can detect trace amounts of accelerants after a fire, alerted officials to the presence of hydrocarbon gas on the person of Lawson.
Subsequently, Lawson was charged in an October 2007 three count indictment with maliciously damaging by means of fire a building or other real property.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Virginia State Police, the Blacksburg Police Department, the Virginia Tech Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Wolthuis is prosecuting the case.