TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty Wednesday in Tacoma to setting fire to the historic pagoda in the city’s Point Defiance Park.
The News Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/nTKFOo ) he is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 11 in juvenile court.
Metro Parks employee spotted flames about 4 a.m. on April 15 in the 97-year-old pagoda in the park’s Japanese garden. The heavily damaged building had been a favorite site for weddings and other special events.
The teen was arrested April 20 after his bicycle was stopped by an officer at 1 a.m. in the morning. He had a gallon of gasoline in his backpack and a box of wooden matches.
