Wis. man to be sentenced for role in $50M fire
MILWAUKEE (AP) — One of the two Milwaukee brothers convicted for their role in a $50 million fire this summer is set to be sentenced.
Twenty-three-year-old Joshua J. Popp is expected to avoid prison when he's sentenced Thursday.
Prosecutors say Popp provided the flare to his 25-year-old brother in July. They say Kurtis J. Popp fired it, and it landed on the roof of a meatpacking plant in Cudahy (CUH'-duh-hay).
The resulting fire raged for days in the Milwaukee suburb. No one was hurt.
Both brothers reached plea agreements to felony charges of second-degree reckless endangerment. In exchange for their guilty pleas, prosecutors are recommending three years probation and community service, plus jail time left to the judge's discretion.
Kurtis Popp will be sentenced Oct. 26.
Oct 8, 2009 at 9:29 a.m.
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The damage to property by itself (charges dismissed) is only a class A misdemeanor. This is a felony, will be on their records forever, and would come into play if they ever do anything similarly stupid again. Meanwhile, they will still be subject to civil lawsuits. They'll be paying for this for a long time. I'd say it's a fair shake their relative will lose that house, as a party to the act.
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I'm still not clear why the Marine hasn't faced charges under the UCMJ for stealing the flare, though.
Oct 8, 2009 at 8:41 a.m.
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This was NOT a malicious act.
Oct 8, 2009 at 8:27 a.m.
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Seems pretty lenient considering the result of their actions.
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