Man Sentenced on Arson Charges

A 19-year-old Newark man will spend five years in prison for an arson last October.

Joshua Sawyers was found guilty of aggravated arson in a fire that destroyed a three-story-barn on Railroad Street. The fire was so intense it also damaged eight surrounding homes and half a dozen railroad cars that contained hazardous materials.

Judge Thomas Marcelain sentenced Sawyers to the five-year-sentence Tuesday in Licking County Common Pleas Court. He also ordered Sawyers to pay $50,000 in restitution.