A man who admitted to being part of a Christmas Eve burglary and arson of a Hockinson residence in 2017 was sentenced Wednesday to more than 14 years in prison.
Daniel L. Cronin, 36, pleaded guilty April 29 in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree burglary, first-degree arson and first-degree theft. The defense and prosecution jointly recommended the sentence.
Cronin and Joshua Adam Roland, 31, broke into and set fire to a house in the 17000 block of Northeast 119th Street. After the break-in, Roland cut his thumb and was bleeding profusely, and the men started the fire to cover up the blood evidence, according to affidavits of probable cause.
The fire displaced a family for more than three months, Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said Wednesday. He added that damage to the home totaled more than $200,000.
The family was attending a church service at the time and returned home to find their house ablaze. The fire destroyed children’s Christmas presents, Smith said.
Cronin’s extensive criminal history includes convictions dating back over the past decade for a hit-and-run collision, vehicle theft, burglary and drug possession, among others, Smith previously said.
Cronin said Wednesday he thinks about the Christmas Eve incident every day.
“I screwed up big time,” Cronin said. “If I could take it back, I would.”
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Daniel Stahnke noted how Cronin’s actions likely caused the family a permanent sense of violation.
“It’s sad. You single-handedly destroyed a lot of people’s lives,” Stahnke said.
Roland is scheduled for trial Aug. 19.
Roland’s brother, Michael Roland, 34, was sentenced in November to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to second-degree possession of stolen property and second-degree rendering criminal assistance. He provided his brother with his identification and money to help him evade arrest. The added charge of possession of stolen property was for receiving, retaining, concealing or disposing of items he knew were stolen.
