A former Division of Forestry employee has been sentenced to five
years in prison for setting a forest fire in Wayne County last fall.
Steven Vitatoe, of Monticello, appeared in Wayne Circuit Court on
Tuesday, August 15 for formal sentencing.
He had entered guilty pleas to the charges of willfully setting a
fire on land not owned/controlled by him and 15 counts of wanton
endangerment first degree on July 24.
He also entered guilty pleas in an unrelated case. He plead guilty
to the amended charges of three counts of possession of a controlled
substance.
He had originally been charged with three counts of trafficking in a
controlled substance.
On the charges related to the fire, which was set November 2 in the
Brammer Hill area of Wayne County, the Commonwealth's Attorney
recommended a sentence of five years on each count to run concurrent.
A sentence of three years was recommended on each count of the drug-
related charges, also to run concurrent.
Wayne Circuit Judge Vernon Miniard, Jr., followed the plea agreement
during last week's sentencing.
Vitatoe's attorney, George Bertram, requested probation in the case,
but the request was denied by Miniard.
Vitatoe is scheduled to be back in court on September 8 in regard to
restitution in the case.
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