Man Gets 34-Year Sentence for Arson Fires in South Dakota

A man accused of starting two fires in Madison, S.D., has been ordered to serve 34 years in prison.

Authorities say 25-year-old Travis Smith Jr. started fires in the apartment building where he lived and in a convenience store in August. No injuries were reported in the fires.

Smith initially faced seven charges including six felonies. He reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty last month to two counts of reckless burning and one count of aggravated assault.

He was sentenced on Nov. 2 to 20 years in prison on the assault charge and 10 years on each of the reckless burning charges. The judge suspended three years of each 10-year sentence and ordered all of the sentences to run consecutively.