By Associated Press - Wednesday, February 19, 2014

STERLING, Ill. (AP) - A 16-year-old boy is scheduled to go to trial in April on charges he set a fire along with his half-brother that destroyed part of a northern Illinois community’s downtown.

The Daily Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/1mb23eA) that the boy is to go to trial April 8 in Sterling. He is accused in a July blaze that destroyed eight buildings in the Whiteside County community of Prophetstown. Many of the buildings were 150 years old.

The boy’s 12-year-old half-brother pleaded guilty to one count of arson on Jan. 21 as part of a plea agreement. The 12-year-old boy was sentenced to 5 years of probation, the maximum probation sentence allowed.



The 16-year-old boy’s next court appearance is March 4.

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Information from: The Daily Gazette, https://www.saukvalley.com

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