EBENSBURG —
A Johnstown man agreed Thursday to take part in a new counseling program for adults who set fires as he pleaded guilty to charges in setting four small fires at a house where he was living in the city’s Hornerstown section.
It actually was the second time Eric Lawrence Mickanis had entered a guilty plea in the cases.
Judge Norman Krumenacker in August allowed Mickanis to withdraw the original plea after the defendant maintained he was innocent and said he wanted to go to trial.
But Mickanis changed his mind Thursday as potential jurors were waiting to be taken to Krumenacker’s courtroom for jury selection.
Prosecutors made only one change in the new plea bargain from the original: Dropping an arson charge graded as a second-degree felony and substituting a third-degree felony charge of risking a catastrophe.
That change will allow the judge to keep Mickanis in the county prison for closer supervision, said Lisa Lazzari, chief public defender.
But there is no recommended sentence under the plea bargain.
Mickanis will participate in the adult fire-setting intervention program at the county prison that is conducted by Jim Buday of the Alternative Community Resource Program.
Buday is a retired Johnstown firefighter and serves as director of the intervention program, which was developed for juvenile offenders.
Detective Sgt. Thomas Owens said that he sought to have the program expanded so that Mickanis could take part in it.
“I felt some type of treatment was needed for this. The program deals with underlying issues for people involved in setting fires,” Owens said.
Mickanis was charged with setting a fire Dec. 19 in a trash can under a porch, another Jan. 10 on a rear porch roof, a third Feb. 3 on a mattress by a garage at the rear of the property and the final one Feb. 16 on a porch roof outside a bedroom window, all at the same house in the 700 block of Horner Street.
City firefighters were dispatched to all four fires, although at least one had been extinguished prior to their arrival, police said.
Mickanis pleaded guilty to five counts of recklessly endangering others, three counts of criminal mischief and one count of risking a catastrophe. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 23.
Buday said the ACRP fire intervention program for juveniles was started about five years ago, although he had conducted some classes previously while still a city fireman.
“It’s a counseling and education program. We teach them about the dangers and consequences of fires, and we also refer them to our blended case management program for counseling,” Buday said.
The program for juveniles typically lasts four months, with sessions held twice a month, he said.
As for the adult program, Buday said, “We’ve developed six lessons and expect two more for the program to last four months.”
Some participants will be in the jail and some on an outpatient basis.
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Mickanis File Photo
Discussion
Man accused of 4 arsons to enter counseling
Program targets adult fire-starters
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