LANCASTER — A 37-year-old Lancaster man will serve up to two decades in prison for setting fire to a Lancaster repair shop, causing more than $600,000 in damage, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
Andy Irizarry maintained his innocence and said he was not involved in setting the fire, which heavily damaged Doctor Tire on the 400 block of South Prince Street on Dec. 10, 2016.
But Lancaster County Judge Donald Totaro reminded Irizarry that a jury unanimously determined he was guilty of felony arson and conspiracy charges at trial in February, deliberating for just 20 minutes.
Totaro then ordered a sentence of 4 1/2 to 20 years in prison.
Irizarry must also pay $614,607 in restitution, Totaro ordered.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Larson, who tried the case, said it was Irizarry who purchased the gas used to start the fire. Surveillance video from a nearby Turkey Hill store showed him buy the gas.
Larson also pointed out that Irizarry was in a vehicle, along with several other individuals, that initially parked near the repair shop, then returned after Irizarry made the gas purchase, around 11 p.m.
A Molotov cocktail was thrown into a window at the shop, and additional gasoline was used to set the building ablaze, Larson said at trial.
No one was inside the shop at the time.
