Man Gets 10 Years for Burning Neighbors’ House
A 28-year-old Arleta man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to charges he set fire to his neighbors’ house and spray-painted swastikas on the walls.
Paul Myron Downing pleaded guilty in San Fernando Superior Court to eight felony charges, including arson and shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and two misdemeanors.
Downing sat with folded arms as San Fernando Superior Court Judge Malcolm H. Mackey pronounced sentence, saying, “Bigotry and racism, whether it’s individuals or the Police Department, will not be tolerated.”
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