Man Pleads Guilty to Arson From August Fire on East Beecher

By Benjamin Cox on November 25, 2020 at 11:58am

A man was sentenced in Morgan County court yesterday for allegedly setting fire to a home in mid-August. 23 year old Brandon N. Koch and 31 year old Isaac Ballard-Crain of the 200 block of East Beecher Avenue were arrested on August 14th in the early morning for aggravated arson for allegedly setting fire to a two-story home at 205 East Beecher Avenue across from Salem Lutheran School. Severe damage was done to the home’s southeast corner while a person was home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Koch plead guilty to 1 count of arson, a Class 2 felony, and was sentenced to 4 years probation plus court fees. Koch was ordered not to consume any alcohol during the duration of his probation and ordered to have no contact with the former occupant of the residence. Koch is scheduled for a restitution hearing on January 19th with the amount to be determined. Koch was given credit for 93 days served in county jail.

Ballard-Crain was scheduled for a pre-trial conference back on October 30th, but due to Governor J.B. Pritzker imposing further COVID-19 restrictions, the court has continued his case until January 6th at 9AM. Ballard-Crain is currently out on bond after posting 10% of the set $50,000 back on October 14th.