CLEARFIELD CO., Pa. (EYT) – A Jefferson County man was found guilty of arson and related charges on Thursday stemming from several fires he set at an assisted living facility in Clearfield County.
According to WJAC News, 24-year-old Steven Rode, of Sykesville, was found guilty of all charges filed against him.
The charges included arson endangering persons, aggravated arson, and recklessly endangering another person, as well as risking catastrophe.
Rode was employed by Fayette Resources in DuBois when he set the fires at an Arminta Street assisted living facility in Sandy Township four separate times during the month of January of 2018, according to police.
Police say Rode lit dryer lint on fire; he started a fire near the power cord; and he also used alcohol to light clothes on fire inside a dryer.
Four residents and another employee, who were inside the facility at the time of the fires, were evacuated.
According to police, Rode confessed to setting the fires and then putting them out in order to get praise from his employer.
District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr. presented the case on behalf of the Commonwealth, while Rode was represented by defense attorney Robbie M. Taylor of Brookville. Judge Paul E. Cherry presided over the trial.
Rode remains lodged in the Clearfield County Jail on $25,000.00 monetary bail.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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