Ex-Ill. firefighter gets prison for arson

WATSEKA -- A former volunteer firefighter from eastern Illinois has been sentenced to three years in prison for setting a fire.

Iroquois County Judge Susan Tungate sentenced 24-year-old Steven Stout on Wednesday in Watseka. Stout earlier pleaded guilty to one count of arson, a Class 2 felony.

Stout admitted setting fire to the garage at his home in the Loda area in November 2007. Stout worked for the fire protection district in Loda, which is about 30 miles north of Champaign.

A second arson count accusing Stout of setting another fire at his father's garage was dismissed.

No one was injured in either fire.