Woman convicted of setting numerous fires to be sentenced
An Onaway woman, who worked as a volunteer firefighter in Presque Isle County, faces sentencing in front of Circuit Judge Joseph P. Swallow Monday, after pleading guilty last month to setting numerous grass fires over a five year period.
Dana Lyon, 27, of Onaway, and a member of the Ocqueoc/Bearinger Fire Department, was identified as the person involved in setting 35 ?suspicious? fires from April 1997 to July 2002. According to the Presque Isle County prosecutor?s office, as a part of Lyon?s plea agreement, she will have pay the restitution for the 35 fires, if there are no additional charges brought against her.
On Swallows motion day, January 13, Lyon pled guilty to three counts of willfully setting fires. The case was investigated by the Department of Natural Resources, who was able the determine the fires were not started by natural causes.
Lyon was oftentimes found in the proximity of the fires, according to the prosecutor?s office. Because of the coincidences, Lyon was interviewed and ?after initial denials, she admitted to 15 to 20 fires,? prosecutor Don McLennan said.
Lyon was arrested in August and posted 10 percent of a $5,000 bond. She was arraigned in Circuit Court September 9.
