LINCOLN COUNTY • A former volunteer firefighter charged with setting a series of fires last year has pleaded guilty to four counts of arson.

Dustin Matthew Grigsby set four blazes in occupied buildings, police said, and in one case, a man in his 70s had to be rescued from the second story of his home.

Grigsby, 19, of the 200 block of Emerald Court, was a volunteer firefighter with the Old Monroe Fire Protection District.

He was arrested in August after a business surveillance camera captured footage of his vehicle in the 100 block of First Street, just before a garage caught fire.

Grigsby told officials that he set the fires because he “needed a release.” He also said he wanted to be able to respond to the fires to put them out.

Grigsby entered the plea to three counts of arson second degree and one count of arson first degree Tuesday. Five other counts were dismissed as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Sentencing before Circuit Judge Chris Kunza Mennemeyer is set for June 4. Grigsby could be get a maximum of 36 years in prison.

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