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Vernon Hills woman denies setting garbage fire in park while out on bail on similar charges

For the second time in less than a month, a 28-year-old woman has pleaded not guilty to an arson charge for starting a garbage can fire in Vernon Hills.

Stephanie M. Wollar, of Vernon Hills, faces up to seven years in prison for starting a Jan. 1 blaze in a garbage can at Augusta Park, Lake County Judge Christopher Lombardo said Thursday. She also faces two to five years in prison on charges of criminal damage to government supported property.

At the time, Wollar was out on bail after being charged with setting similar garbage can fires at Deerpath, Augusta and Kelli Garvanian parks last fall. She also has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Wollar was arrested Nov. 15 after police caught her setting fire to a bag of yard waste on the 300 block of Albany Lane, near her home in the Deerpath subdivision.

During questioning, Wollar said she set the garbage can fires “to relive stress,” authorities said.

Total damage estimates were about $6,000 for all the fires, authorities said. No injuries were reported in any of the fires.

Wollar faces a maximum of three to seven years in prison on the initial charges, authorities said. She faces an additional three to seven years for the most recent arson charge.

The prison sentences would be served consecutively because the charges came for different cases, Lombardo said in court.

Defense attorney Steven McCullom requested the trials for all charges take place March 16.

Wollar remains held in Lake County jail on $500,000 bail.

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