Firefighter

sentenced in

arson case

Negron was

accused of

setting four fires

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- A former New Ulm firefighter was sentenced to jail and ordered to pay for the damages in the four fires he was accused of starting last year.

On Friday afternoon, Judge Allison Krehbiel Baskfield sentenced Gary Ralph Negron, 40. In late August, he entered an Alford plea to two second-degree arson charges and an additional third-degree arson charge in a plea bargain with Brown County prosecutors.

Negron is the first firefighter in New Ulm's history to face arson charges. He was a member of the volunteer fire department from March 2001 to September 2002, when he was formally charged with setting fire to properties owned by New Ulm Telecom, his former employer.

Baskfield sentenced Negron to serve six months in jail, 10 years of probation, and ordered him to pay a $3,000 fine plus court fees and nearly $15,000 in restitution to New Ulm Telecom.

She also forgave most of the jail time required by state law and allowed him work release privileges, provided that he has no more criminal violations in the next 10 years.

Negron was accused of setting four fires in New Ulm in 2002, sometimes moments before the New Ulm Fire Department arrived at the scenes.

Negron was charged April 23 with starting four fires between Jan. 14, 2002, and Sept. 19, 2002. The first fire, at a warehouse, caused about $500,000 in damage. Three smaller fires were started in a Telecom truck, a wooden cable spool and a trash bin behind a restaurant.

Negron is said to have admitted starting two of the fires with lit cigarettes. A criminal complaint indicates investigators felt Negron was responsible for two more fires, one causing heavy damage to a warehouse.

By making an Alford plea, Negron technically did not admit any guilt. Instead, he swore on the witness stand in August that the prosecution's evidence could cause a jury to convict him.

Brown County prosecutors agreed to drop a first-degree arson charge in the plea agreement. Negron made the Alford plea to two second-degree arson charges and one third-degree charge, all which are still considered felonies.

In addition to jail, restitution and probation, Baskfield also ordered Negron to undergo psychological evaluation and a critical thinking skills program and to follow any requirements made as the result of those two programs. She allowed 90 days for anyone looking to make a claim for restitution against Negron.

As with Negron's plea hearing, the sentencing attracted attention from a few New Ulm firefighters and police, who sat and watched the hearing take place.

"This is the end," said NUFD Chief Curt Curry in the hallway outside the courtroom after the hearing. "It's been a long year for the New Ulm Fire Department."

At the opposite end of the hall, Negron hugged his wife, who cried quietly after he told her about what happened. Negron declined to comment on the sentence. His attorney, Robert Gibson of Mankato, offered no comment, except to say, "This has been a really tough situation."

Negron was taken into custody following the hearing.

as Baskfield ordered him to start his jail term Friday.