Jul 24, 2021

Man who set fire to jail sentenced to prison

Posted Jul 24, 2021 11:00 PM
Bentley photo Platte Co
Bentley photo Platte Co

MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A Nebraska man who set a fire that forced the evacuation of a Missouri county jail has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for arson and other charges.

Ethen Mark Bentley, 29, of Stella, Nebraska, was sentenced July 16 after pleading guilty to first-degree arson for setting a fire in his cell in January at the Nodaway County Jail. Jail officials were forced to evacuate 20 inmates through smoky, narrow hallways. No one was injured.

The inmates were relocated to nearby county jails for about a month while the jail was repaired.

Bentley also pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree domestic assault and one count of felony resisting arrest.

Those charges came after someone saw Bentley assault a woman in a moving vehicle, prosecutors said. He fled when police tried to stop the vehicle and eventually hit a Maryville Public Safety car head on, totaling both vehicles.

As part of the sentence, Bentley was ordered to pay $5,000 restitution to the county.