PLYMOUTH, Wis. (WFRV) – A Wisconsin man was sentenced to 10 years after admitting to starting a fire at an apartment building in Sheboygan County which resulted in the death of a mother of three.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), Jonathan T. Lane will spend three years on supervised release following his time in federal prison and will also be ordered to pay restitution in an amount yet to be determined, which authorities say could exceed $400,000.

Lane, a 32-year-old from Plymouth, admitted to starting a fire in a two-story apartment building, in which he also lived, on November 9, 2017, court filings state.

Authorities say a mother of three died as a result of the fire, and a firefighter who was attempting to extinguish the fire was also injured. Subsequently, the apartment building was destroyed and neighboring apartment buildings sustained fire-related damage as well.

Arson investigators were able to determine that the fire was intentionally set and that Lane was the last person around the fire origin minutes before the discovery of the smoke and fire.

Arson is an extremely dangerous crime that can lead to tragedy, as it did in this terrible case. Thank you to [the] Wisconsin Department of Justice’s State Fire Marshal’s Office, whose agents are highly skilled in arson investigations and work with local, state, and federal agencies to obtain justice.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul

Lane was sentenced on May 10 by United States District Judge Lynn Adelman.

At sentencing, Judge Adelman noted the serious nature of the offense, the need for just punishment, and the need for protection of the public.

The investigation was led by the following law enforcement groups: 

  • Wisconsin Department of Justice
  • Division of Criminal Investigation
  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
  • Plymouth Police Department
    • *As well as numerous fire and rescue departments from the surrounding areas that responded to the scene to assist in putting out the fire

No further details about the incident were provided in the DOJ’s release.