Man sentenced to 5 years for trying to burn down the wrong house

A man who set fire to a Parkland house where he thought his girlfriend’s ex-husband lived has been sentenced to almost five years in prison.

Justin Mohler, 39, pleaded guilty Friday to attempted first-degree arson.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Stanley Rumbaugh sentenced Mohler to the low end of the sentencing range. It was higher than the minimum because of 16 prior convictions for crimes such as driving with a suspended license, destroying property, robbery and felony harassment.

Mohler set fire to the home in the 14600 block of 29th Avenue Court East, in the Brookdale Road area of Parkland, on Dec. 2, 2014.

The blaze didn’t last long. A neighbor who happened to be a firefighter put out the flames before fire crews arrived.

Sheriff’s detectives determined Mohler’s girlfriend’s ex-husband had previously lived at the home, and they believe Mohler was angry because the woman had recently lost her children in a custody battle with her ex.

Mohler didn’t realize, investigators said, that the man had moved.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Man sentenced to 5 years for trying to burn down the wrong house."