Wichita Man Sentenced to 77 Months for Apartment Arson After Disabling Smoke Alarm and Throwing a Molotov Cocktail
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas announced on November 5 that Skyler D. Imel, 31, of Wichita, in Sedgwick County, Kansas, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison for maliciously setting a fire that damaged an apartment building where families lived.
According to court documents, Imel pleaded guilty to one count of arson. In March 2023, he intentionally set a fire inside the bedroom of a vacant unit at an apartment complex on West Central Avenue in Wichita. Before starting the fire, Imel used a red Sharpie to write "Sam apparment 2502 is geting killed" on the bedroom wall, and he disabled a smoke alarm. He then attempted to set a second fire at apartment No. 2502, which was occupied at the time, by throwing a Molotov cocktail at the front entryway.
"There were families living in the apartment complex so this incident could have easily turned into a horrific tragedy," said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. "The fact that the defendant disabled the smoke detector indicates he wanted the fire to have time to spread before it was likely to be noticed, increasing the danger to the building's residents."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wichita Fire Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ola Odeyemi prosecuted the case.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼（联邦机构固定图库）。 / Photo: U.S. Department of Justice headquarters (federal agency photo library).
