Middletown man pleads guilty after allegedly setting fire to NYS trooper's childhood home as revenge
WARWICK, New York (WABC) -- A Middletown man who allegedly set a New York State trooper's father's house on fire as an act of revenge pleaded guilty on Tuesday, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Officials say Tyler Williams, 26, was pulled over by a trooper back on Dec. 20, 2023, and issued multiple traffic tickets. The following morning, a fire was started at the home of the trooper's father in Warwick, destroying the house.
Nobody was hurt by the fire.
"Every day in America, police officers write countless traffic tickets, and it does not result in those drivers setting fire to those officers' homes in retribution," said Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler. "The admitted conduct in this case stands as amongst the most egregious I have ever seen exhibited towards a police officer in my career."
The investigation revealed that Williams, just hours after the tickets were issued, searched online to look up personal information about the trooper and discovered his childhood home, where his father still lives. Williams was arrested and charged just days later.
Williams admitted to intentionally starting the fire at the house when he knew or should have known that people were in the home.
"This incident struck at the heart of every law enforcement officer and their families," added Town of Warwick Police Chief John Rader. "We are out there every day serving and protecting our communities and it is beyond comprehension that our lives and the lives of our families could be targeted for doing our job."
Williams faces up to 20 years in prison.
His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025.
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