Federal prosecutors have dismissed a charge related to one of the fires a Stowe man had been accused of setting more than two years ago. The move comes now that a plea agreement has been reached on state charges against him tied to more fires.
Terms of that agreement in the state’s case against Jeffrey Nolan call for a guilty plea to eight misdemeanor counts of setting fires, Lamoille County State’s Attorney Todd Shove said in an email Monday. Shove did not immediately respond to a follow-up email seeking additional information.
In exchange for the pleas, Shove is asking for a sentence of zero to 60 days in jail, all suspended on probation for two years, according to a copy of the proposed plea agreement on file in Lamoille County Superior criminal court in Hyde Park.
Court filings show that the change of plea hearing for Nolan in state court is set for June 7.
Nolan had also been facing a federal charge of damaging a building “by means of fire affecting interstate and foreign commerce.” The federal charge relates to an allegation that Nolan set a fire Jan. 7, 2021 at Stowe Cable Systems. Company workers put out the fire before firefighters arrived.
A hearing in the case had been set for Friday, but on that day the prosecution filed notice that it was dismissing the case, mentioning the plea agreement on the state charges.
“The United States believes the dismissal is in the best interests of justice based on a plea agreement filed in a state court proceeding that relates to the offense charged in the indictment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher wrote in the filing dismissing the case.
Nolan told investigators he’s had problems with his memory and impulse control since suffering a brain injury in 1996, according to court records.
According to police, Nolan admitted to setting fires in Stowe, though he said he wasn’t sure why. He also told detectives he has a drinking problem and was often very drunk when he started the fires. The series of suspicious fires had been the subject of an intensive effort to find the firebug, with a $100,000 reward offered.
In total, Nolan had been charged with eight state counts of arson dating back to March 2019 that caused more than $1.5 million in damage.
Terms of his proposed probation under the plea deal include Nolan continuing to receive services through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Shortly after Nolan was arrested in January 2021, his attorney worked with the VA to obtain in-patient treatment for Nolan.