Mar 7, 2006 5:08 pm US/Central
Former Fire Lt. Sentenced For Starting Fires
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
Former Chicago Fire Department Lt. Jeffrey Boyle was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison after entering guilty pleas to starting eight fires in the city and suburbs.
Boyle, in his 40s, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson and one count of residential arson before Circuit Judge Garritt Howard in Skokie, according to Cook County State's Attorney's spokesman Tom Stanton. Howard sentenced Boyle to six years in prison.
Later Tuesday, Boyle appeared before Circuit Judge Dennis Porter in Chicago, where he pleaded guilty to four more counts of arson, Stanton said. Porter sentenced Boyle to six years in prison to run concurrently with the sentence handed down in Skokie, Stanton said. Boyle was taken into custody immediately.
Boyle admitted to starting a total of eight fires in the city and suburban Park Ridge between 1998 and 2005. Defense attorney James Tunick said Boyle apologized for his actions, telling the court he knew what he did was wrong and he needed to pay the price for it. Tunick said Boyle's drinking played a factor in his committing arson, but after Boyle's arrest in 2005, he immediately began seeking treatment.
"It (the arrest) really was a turning point in his life. He hasn't had a drink since his arrest. He's really changed," Tunick said. "He's made a lot of improvements in his life. It's really kind of amazing."
Jeffrey Boyle is the brother of John "Quarters" Boyle, a former city employee who pleaded guilty to shaking down trucking companies seeking enrollment and work in the Hired Truck Program. John Boyle was sentenced in 2005 to seven years in prison.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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