Firefighter’s Injury Ups The Potential Arson Penalty

As soon as La Salle firefighter Steve Smith went down with a broken femur, the future got a little more stressful for two teens accused of arson.

Because Smith was injured while trying to attach a fire hose, class 2 arson charges were elevated to class 1 aggravated arson charges. If convicted of aggravated arson, Steven Gallagher faces 4 to 15 years in prison. If the charged had stayed at a lesser felony, the sentence could’ve been 3 to 7 years in prison.

The 15 year old from Peru facing the arson charge could get sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until he turns 21.