Ringleader admits guilt in Joey T's burglary, arson
The purported ringleader behind the burglary and arson that destroyed a landmark McHenry restaurant faces up to seven years in prison after admitting in court Wednesday to his part in causing the 2009 fire.
Brian C. Lawler, 18, of Woodstock, pleaded guilty to one count of arson stemming from the Feb. 9 fire that gutted Joey T's, a popular riverside eatery.
Under terms of the plea deal, Lawler will receive between three and seven years in prison, or possibly probation, when sentenced March 18. In exchange for the guilty plea, McHenry County prosecutors dismissed burglary and theft charges.
Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Philip Hiscock said he will consult with the restaurant's owners and review a pending pre-sentence report before deciding what sentence to seek. Lawler's attorney, Senior Assistant Public Defender Richard Behof, said his client would be asking for probation.
Hiscock said in court Wednesday that Lawler, a former Joey T's employee, first suggested breaking into the business to steal a laptop computer and liquor during an instant-messaging conversation with co-defendant Joseph Drews.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 9, police said, Lawler and friend Kasimer Sowa smashed their way into the restaurant with a baseball bat while Drews stood lookout outside. Once inside, authorities said, they began removing a safe, ATM, liquor and a laptop computer.
Lawler later told police that as they were leaving, Sowa ducked back inside the business and fire broke out a short time later. Sowa, however, told investigators that he saw Lawler spray an unknown liquid onto the restaurant's walls just before the fire began.
The fire, Hiscock said, caused about $238,000 in damage and forced the restaurant's owners to raze the building.
Sowa, 17, was sentenced in November to 41/2 years in prison after admitting guilt to arson. Drews, 19, of McHenry, pleaded guilty to arson in August and was sentenced to six months in the county jail and two years probation.
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<ul class="links">
<li><a href="/story/?id=338586">Teen sent to prison for torching McHenry restaurant<span class="date">[11/20/09]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=314252">Lookout to McHenry restaurant arson pleads guilty<span class="date">[8/17/09]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=270867">Three charged in McHenry restaurant burglary, fire<span class="date">[2/19/09]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=270574">Police suspect arson in McHenry restaurant fire<span class="date">[2/10/09]</span></a></li>
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