No arson conviction in Dough Roller fire
Staff Report • November 24, 2008 from www.delmarvanow.com
OCEAN CITY — Prosecutors dropped the most serious charges they had in store for a man arrested on accusations that he'd started a fire that burned the Dough Roller restaurant on the Boardwalk.
The defendant, Gregory W. Wallace Kern, 48, of Ocean City, left court Monday morning without any more time in jail awaiting him. He accepted a deal with prosecutors to enter an Alford plea to reckless endangerment, and was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.
But a District Court judge suspended most of that sentence, crediting Kern with spending 119 days in jail awaiting trial and setting him free Monday morning. In return for the Alford plea, prosecutors dropped four more serious charges against Kern, including arson, saying they had not assembled strong enough evidence against Kern to proceed with the remaining charges.An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt by a defendant, but is an acknowledgment that prosecutors have evidence that would likely convict someone of a certain charge.
Previously, a Worcester County grand jury had indicted Kern on two counts of first-degree arson for the apartments above the businesses and two counts of second-degree arson for the fire at the businesses.
The charges carred a total maximum penalty of 105 years in prison and fines of $165,000.More than 100 firefighters from 22 fire companies battled the March 30 inferno at the Boardwalk and South Division Street. The restaurant is currently being rebuilt on the same site.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
14 comments:
I hope the stone oven makes its way into the new place.
If he was convicted of arson would their insurance company be off the hook?
run oj run
Who's going to be charged next?
Damn Joe most of the time you are talking shit about the Daily Times now you are using their news stories. Guess you need them sometimes don't you?
anon 4:30
Look again Joe didnt' post the story. Sunnyinoc did
The Town of OC could use a blog of its own and its leaders given more publicity in what they do in running that town.
Is here one?
Urban renewal at it's best, and the perp gets a slap on the wrist
Urban renewal at it's best, and the perp gets a slap on the wrist
Another first rate job by Joel Todd.
I still smell a rat-what would be his motive to start the fire?What did he have to gain from it?WAs he just a pyro or did he have an incentive to do it?Enquiring minds wanna know.
Another fine job by Joel Todd and Company. Having enough probable cause to charge/indict is far less than enough to convict. I'm not saying this dirt bag did not do it, but how much did the tax payers waste to investigate, house, and prosecute this guy when it all could have been done along time ago with a simple plea to reckless endangerment.
Told you when it happened a fire detective in ocean city, cliff screwed the investigation up, now millions later a arsonist walks.... great system we have.
I wanna hear more about cliff!
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