BLOOMINGTON — A Fairbury teen pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge in connection with a fire and vandalism last July at Hinthorn Chapel.
Hunter D. Henry, 19, was initially charged in August with one count of burglary and one count of criminal defacement of property.
Henry pleaded guilty Wednesday to Class 1 burglary, and the other charge was dismissed as part of his plea agreement.
Prosecutors said emergency services were called to Hinthorn Chapel near Lake Bloomington about 7:30 a.m. July 7 to find it on fire and defaced with spray paint. After putting out the fire, authorities determined the suspects had gained access to the chapel by kicking in a wooden door.
Prosecutors said Henry admitted to entering the chapel through the kicked-in door and spray painting the chapel. He told police the other suspect, 21-year-old Austin S. Waller, had kicked in the door and lit the chapel on fire.
Judge Amy McFarland accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Henry to 36 months of second chance probation, which means the charge will be dismissed if he successfully completes the probation term. As part of that probation, he will be required to complete 30 hours of community service and undergo three random drug screenings.
After the plea hearing, Henry’s attorney, Stephanie Wong, said her client was “very remorseful” for his actions, and he was not the leader in this case.
Waller, of Bloomington, was also charged in the incident with arson, burglary and criminal defacement of property.
He pleaded guilty to one count of arson in February and was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections with credit for 177 days served, to be followed by up to one year of mandatory supervised release, according to online court records.
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Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.