web1_TTL030117fncb.diocese.jpg

FNCB donates to Diocese of Scranton Scholarship Foundation

web1_embid.jpg

Joel Embiid’s season over due to left knee injury

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Wilkes-Barre Township firefighter whose arson trial last year ended in a hung jury pleaded no contest Wednesday to torching a vacant home, causing a fiercely burning fire he later joined in battling.</p><p>Richard Thomas Hart, 19, of Wilkes-Barre Township, had been accused of setting fire to 115 Carey Ave. in the township on Dec. 21, 2015. A volunteer firefighter for the township and the son of the department&#8217;s chief, Hart was among 30 firefighters from four local departments who responded to battle the blaze hours later.</p><p>Hart, wearing a township &#8220;fire-rescue&#8221; T-shirt, pleaded no contest to a single count of arson. In exchange for his plea, two remaining counts of arson and one count each of reckless burning and burglary were withdrawn. He must pay $12,263 in restitution, Judge David W. Lupas ordered.</p><p>The son of township fire Chief Richard Hart, the younger Hart has been prohibited from contact with the fire department since his arrest and will continue to be banned from working for the department or any others until the conclusion of his sentence, defense attorney John Pike said after the hearing.</p><p>&#8220;That probably is the greatest punishment coming out of this,&#8221; Pike said.</p><p>Hart stood trial on the charges in October, but a <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/601181/volunteer-firefighter-says-fear-pressure-caused-him-to-admit-to-setting-blaze" target="_blank">mistrial was declared after a county jury deadlocked</a> on a verdict. The jury informed the judge they could not reach a unanimous decision after about 4&#189; hours of deliberations.</p><p>&#8220;Rather than take that chance again, we came up with a plea that we think is great for our side in any event,&#8221; prosecutor Thomas Hogans said. He noted the no contact provision was &#8220;most important&#8221; to the District Attorney&#8217;s Office and the arresting officers in the case.</p><p>Hart faces up to 10 years on the felony charge, but will likely see significantly less time due to his lack of a prior criminal record, Hogans said.</p><p>Hart could not be reached for comment after the hearing.</p><p>During trial, Hart said he confessed to setting the blaze because he folded under intense questioning.</p><p>He twice denied setting the fire, he said, but admitted in a third interview he started the blaze after he followed a lost family cat into the residence and dropped a cigar onto spilled gasoline. He made the story up because he was nervous and &#8220;never had to deal with anything like this before,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;I tell them a story, they leave me alone,&#8221; Hart said.</p><p>But in a fourth interview with police, Hart retracted his confession and claimed a man he saw standing in a seldom-traveled township roadway a few days before the fire was responsible. Hart claimed he saw the man at the scene the night of the fire and was threatened by him at gunpoint to get away, according to testimony.</p><p>Hogans had argued it was Hart who sparked the blaze, not a mysterious stranger or someone recruited in a setup attempt by former township fire chief John Yuknavich &#8212; a rival of Hart&#8217;s father &#8212; as suggested during testimony at the time.</p><p>Yuknavich and the elder Hart have <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/593465/wilkes-barre-twp-fire-chief-and-former-chief-dueling-over-dual-harassment-claims" target="_blank">leveled harassment claims against one other</a> over an alleged shouting match last summer. The former fire chief, who served six months in prison last year for stealing funds from the fire department, appeared outside the courtroom during the trial but did not take the stand.</p><p>Pressed at trial as to why he didn&#8217;t call police about the suspicious man in the neighborhood or mention him in interviews for nearly a month, Hart again cited fear. When Hart did bring up the stranger, investigators didn&#8217;t believe him, he said.</p><p>&#8220;They basically told me I was a piece of s&#8211;&#8211;&#8211;,&#8221; Hart said.</p><p>Hogans had countered by noting it wouldn&#8217;t be unreasonable for investigators to be hesitant to believe Hart because he had already admitted to setting the blaze.</p><p>Hart&#8217;s sentencing is scheduled for April 12.</p><p><ins>For other local crime stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/crime" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_web1_TTL021016Richard-Hart1-6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hart </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_web1_TTL021016Richard-Hart1-6-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hart </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre Township volunteer firefighter pleads no contest to arson