ZANESVILLE – A Zanesville man was apologetic and acknowledged the unruliness of his drunken path in downtown last September. However the prosecution highlighted him for a flippant, indifferent attitude after he lit two dumpster fires along the way.
Marquise Angelo Sowell, 31, of pleaded guilty to four counts on Dec. 1: attempted aggravated arson, a second-degree felony; possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony; and two counts of arson, both first-degree misdemeanors.
As a result, Sowell was sentenced to four years in prison when he went before the Muskingum County Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly Cottrill Jan. 20.
Sowell reportedly started at least two fires within dumpsters using a lighter around Sept. 29. One was near an apartment complex and the Econo Lodge at the intersection of Shinnick and North Seventh streets. The other was near the St. Thomas preschool.
The state and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lucas Howard asked for a seven-year sentence. Howard noted Sowell for his apathy toward lighting the fires.
The defense, led by Attorney Zach Tabler, believed seven years was not appropriate. He said Sowell was not intending to burn anything down, but added that there was no excuse or rational reason for his actions.
According to video footage that Tabler watched, the fires rose about 12 inches above the top of the dumpsters and were pulled out away from nearby structures.
Tabler asked for something in the more minimal range.
Sowell spoke only briefly to Cottrill, but he apologized for being reckless and stated that he had taken accountability for his actions while drinking.
Sowell was given 114 days of jail-time credit. He’ll have between 18 months and three years of post-release control after prison and is required to register as an arson for the rest of his life. He has been held in the Muskingum County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Muskingum County judge sends arsonist to prison for dumpster fires
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
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