EUGENE, Ore. — Three boys will spend up to five years on probation for their roles in a fire that destroyed the wooden grandstands at Eugene’s historic Civic Stadium.
The three boys reached out-of-court settlements with prosecutors on charges of second-degree arson and recklessly endangering another person, the Register-Guard reported.
Police say three 12-year-olds and a 10-year-old hopped a fence and lit a fire in the press box.
The case against a fourth suspect charged in the June 29 blaze is ongoing.
Those who were sentenced Tuesday also acknowledged in court that they set a trash bin fire the day after the stadium blaze.
The bin fire was outside Gary Katz’s store, Dari Mart. He told the boys in court than an employee was working inside the shop at the time.
Katz told Judge Clara Rigmaiden that he wanted the boys to get help.
“I really care about what’s going on here today, and I feel that the community is concerned,” Katz said. “People want to see something positive come out of this.”
In addition to supervised probation, the boys must also complete a Youth Services department fire safety course.
Rigmaiden noted that the boys are younger than most youth offenders in the system.
“These are very young offenders — we want everyone to understand that,” Rigmaiden said.
