A Roanoke City firefighter was awarded up to $2000 by the Courts after an arsonist plead guilty to burning his girlfriends home.

The fire occurred on January 26, 2009 at 1418 Greenbrier Avenue in Southeast Roanoke. However, the Roanoke Fire-EMS press release at the time stated there were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

Previous coverage of the fire on VAFireNews.com

Photo by Mike Overacker. More photos can be seen at RoanokeFirefighters.com

For more photos from RoanokeFirefighters.com visit this link to images of the fire

Roanoke.com:

Conner also pleaded guilty to a new charge that prosecutors brought Monday: conspiring to burn a building to fraudulently collect insurance. The second blaze occurred Jan. 26, 2009, at 1418 Greenbrier Ave. S.E., prosecutors said. Charges have not been placed against anyone else in connection with the fire, said Tim Heaphy, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

Conner’s plea agreement “forwards the investigation of that second arson,” Heaphy said. “The motivation for this plea is information. We made a deal that essentially gives credit for that.”

Conner agreed to pay $130,115 restitution to State Farm, which insured Westmoreland’s duplex, $1,000 to the building’s owners to cover the insurance deductible, and up to $2,000 to Roanoke to cover firefighters’ injuries. In addition, he agreed to pay up to $240,000 to Liberty Mutual Insurance Group in connection with the Greenbrier Avenue fire, and up to $2,000 to a firefighter who was hurt. Continue reading… Arson suspect John Conner Jr. changes plea; admits fires, witness tampering