WIGGINS, Colo. (AP) -- A former firefighter has pleaded guilty to starting several grass fires in northeast Colorado last year.
John R. Willis was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty to false reporting and two counts of setting a fire to woods or prairie in the Wiggins area. He was sentenced Friday.
Prosecutors say Willis' colleagues became suspicious of him because he was often the first one to arrive at the fires. As part of Willis' plea, prosecutors dismissed other arson charges, including a case where he was accused of setting a fire to an abandoned house.
No one was injured during the fires. The judge who sentenced Willis said his actions were a "flagrant abuse of public trust."
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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