A Nov. 8 plea hearing is set for a former volunteer firefighter accused of setting a blaze in Berkeley County, W. Va., that injured a firefighter from another department.
Berkeley County Prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely told a judge on Monday that 31-year-old James L. Blackford III agreed to enter an Alford plea to first-degree arson and causing serious injury during an arson-related crime.
In an Alford plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict.
Blackford was a three-year member of the Bedington Volunteer Fire Department when he was charged with setting fire to a barn in 2009.
A member of the Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department was injured in the blaze.
Topics Virginia
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Florida Needs More – Much More – Wind Mitigation, Say Experts at OIR Summit
NYC Mayor Eyes City-Run Insurance Program for Affordable Housing
Marsh Aims to Be ‘AI Winner’ by Focusing on Gains in Growth, Productivity, Efficiency
Ex-CEO, Ex-CFO of Bankrupt AI Company Charged With Fraud 

