Man pleads guilty to arson at former boss’s house, burglary rampage at South Hill Mall
A man has pleaded guilty to a 2019 arson at a home in Milton and a burglary spree at the South Hill Mall. Prosecutors said the two incidents were linked by a stolen handgun with a missing safety.
The guilty pleas came in two separate Pierce County Superior Court cases brought against 24-year-old Jordan Poisson. Prosecutors accused Poisson of setting his former boss’s house on fire, stealing the man’s gun and then using it to shoot his way into South Hill Mall the next day.
According to court filings, Poisson pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree arson and first-degree burglary in one case and first-degree burglary and second-degree malicious mischief in the other.
Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Adam Faber said the defendant’s plea deal means Poisson will have a felony conviction for a strike offense under Washington state’s three-strike law. The prosecution and defense agreed to a recommended sentence of two years, four months in prison and three years of community custody.
The sentencing recommendation would bar him from the South Hill Mall and the home of his former boss. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 20.
The burglaries at South Hill Mall on July 23, 2019 caused about $10,000 in damages, and prosecutors accused Poisson of stealing about $5,000 in merchandise. Surveillance video showed a man dropping into the mall from the ceiling and shooting his way into stores through glass doors and windows.
Poisson was arrested that morning in the mall’s parking lot. A week later, prosecutors charged him with setting his former boss’s house on fire. The defendant’s boss returned home from a vacation July 24 and found signs of a break-in and evidence that someone tried to light the house on fire. A sprinkler system apparently came on, dousing the fire.
Stolen from the boss’ house were a Norinco 9 mm pistol, jewelry, a laptop, checkbook and other firearms. The boss noted that his gun had a safety that had fallen off, and prosecutors wrote in charging documents that it matched the handgun recovered when Poisson was arrested.
Poisson had been working for the man on residential construction sites until the two got into an argument at a job site, according to the probable cause document. The boss became concerned about Poisson’s behavior, told him there was no more work and went on vacation to California.
Since his arrest, Poisson has served about one year, six months in Pierce County Jail. He likely will be held by the Department of Corrections for approximately 60 days following sentencing, Faber said. The prison term is a departure downward from the standard sentencing range for such cases, which is between three years, five months and four years, six months in prison.
Poisson’s recommended time in community custody is double the standard length.
When Poisson was arrested, he was placed on suicide watch at Pierce County Jail after making several comments to officers about how he should have killed himself. In charging documents for the arson case, prosecutors noted multiple prior run-ins with police where the defendant was armed and making threats to hurt himself.
Faber said the sentencing recommendation was deemed appropriate based on Poisson’s need for mental health treatment and monitoring.
