Notorious Arsonist Gets 12 Years

SNOW HILL -- A Virginia man found guilty in April on arson and other charges after purposely setting fire to a vacant building in the south end of Worcester County in 2012 was sentenced last week to 20 years in jail, all but 12 were suspended.

In April, David Clifton Parks, 38, of Melfa, Va., was found guilty of second-degree arson, malicious burning and reckless endangerment for purposely setting fire to a vacant building on Sheephouse Rd. in Pocomoke in April 2012. Back in court last week, Parks was sentenced to a combined 20 years in jail, with eight suspended, netting him a total of 12 years. He was also placed on supervised probation for five years including GPS monitoring, and was ordered to take mandatory alcohol and mental health counseling during his incarceration. Parks was also ordered to pay a combined $2,900 in restitution to the victims.

During the sentencing hearing, Parks admitted he was a chronic arsonist and told Judge Thomas Groton he “had a problem with setting fires.” Presumably in the interest of gaining a lesser sentence for his client, Parks’ defense attorney told the judge Parks was a firefighter. However, Groton quickly corrected the attorney.
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