Teen draws probation for setting fire at store

A North Wales teenager faces several years of court supervision in connection with setting a minor fire in a back room of the Montgomery Township department store where he once worked after he reportedly became upset about a schedule change.

Ronak Patel, 19, of the 1300 block of Morris Court, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Monday to four years of probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failure to control or report fire in connection with the 6:15 p.m. June 7, 2016, incident at the Marshalls store in the Airport Square shopping Center on Bethlehem Pike.

Judge Joseph P. Walsh, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Patel to complete 72 hours of community service. Patel also must undergo an arson risk assessment by

probation officials and comply with any recommendations for counseling.

Patel, who has no prior criminal record, must pay $379 in restitution to Marshalls, the judge said.

“Mr. Patel did something very foolish. It was a childish decision. This defendant was put under a very long term of supervision to make sure that he does not reoffend. We want to ensure that this defendant moves forward on the appropriate path and therefore supervision is appropriate,” said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Daniels.

No one was injured during the incident and Patel did assist in extinguishing the small fire, according to investigators.

Other felony charges of arson and risking a catastrophe were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

An investigation began after Montgomery Township police and fire crews responded to the store for a report of a fire which necessitated the evacuation of the store. By the time police arrived, the fire, which was in a rear stock room, had already been extinguished, and there was light smoke in the back room, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

As firefighters took control of the stock room to ensure the fire was fully extinguished, police spoke to several store employees, including Patel, who was the person who put out the fire, according to the criminal complaint.

While speaking with the employees, the Montgomery Township fire marshal determined that a dress, which had been atop a clothing rack in the stock room, had intentionally been set on fire, according to court documents. Patel and two other Marshalls employees denied setting the fire, police said.

However, on July 7, detectives went back to the store to speak to a loss prevention agent who said that Patel had admitted to setting the fire, according to the arrest affidavit. The loss prevention agent gave police a written statement from Patel.

“In the statement, Patel admits to setting the fire because he was upset Marshalls continuously changed his schedule,”

Montgomery Township Police Officer Thomas J. Ward wrote in the arrest affidavit, adding he then spoke to Patel.

“Patel said he is now admitting to setting this fire because it has been bothering him.”