A Nov. 8 plea hearing is set for a former volunteer firefighter accused of setting a blaze in Berkeley County, W. Va., that injured a firefighter from another department.
Berkeley County Prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely told a judge on Monday that 31-year-old James L. Blackford III agreed to enter an Alford plea to first-degree arson and causing serious injury during an arson-related crime.
In an Alford plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict.
Blackford was a three-year member of the Bedington Volunteer Fire Department when he was charged with setting fire to a barn in 2009.
A member of the Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department was injured in the blaze.
Topics Virginia
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Private Equity Turns to Heat Detectives as Climate Risks Intensify 
Developer Downplays Structural Concerns at ‘Unstable’ Midtown Manhattan Tower 
Farmers to Pay $2.8M to Settle TPCA Class Action Lawsuit 
Former Bucknell University Coach Charged in Death of Freshman Football Player 
