The man who allegedly set fire to a van in the Sip N’ Dip parking garage last year signed a deal with prosecutors earlier this month to plead guilty to arson and theft.
Jeremy Allen Porter was charged in March 2017 with felony arson and theft. On April 2, Porter signed a plea deal in which he agrees to plead guilty to one count of arson and theft. Cascade County prosecutors agreed to drop a second arson charge.
For the felony arson charge, prosecutors recommended 20-year prison sentence with 15 suspended. The felony theft sentence recommendation comes with five years in Montana State Prison that will run concurrently with the arson charge.
In March 2017, Porter reportedly attempted to catch a van on fire while inside the O’Haire Motor Inn in downtown Great Falls. Additionally, Porter had taken multiple boxes that were valued at over $2,000 each, according to court documents. The boxes however, were not burned with the vehicle. Porter and the boxes were found at the Alberta Motel, but the contents were not disclosed, police said.