Warren man takes plea deal in arson case
A man who had been accused of setting fire to a Warren home awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to less serious charges.
Forty-eight-year-old Robert Armstrong agreed to plead guilty Monday to charges of breaking and entering and vandalism, both fifth-degree felonies. A fourth-degree arson charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Armstrong will be sentenced later.
Warren Police arrested Armstrong last April after a person living along the 1400 block of North Park Avenue told dispatchers she saw a man running from a neighboring home just after it caught fire.
Police say they spotted a man fitting the suspect's description walking through a backyard on Hall Street.
An officer said Armstrong had an ash-like substance on his hands and jacket, and a lighter in his pocket.
Warren Fire investigators say someone set fire to drapes in the unoccupied home. Firefighters say they put out the flames quickly.