Streamwood man gets 4 years after attempted arson gone awry

A 21-year-old Streamwood man with no criminal background was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a December arson that inflicted more damage on him than his intended victims.

Artur Kazimierczyk, of the first block of Foxglove Court, set the fire at the home of longtime friends after they had asked him to leave a party following an argument, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber, at Kazimierczyk's sentencing Wednesday in Rolling Meadows.

Kazimierczyk left but returned later, poured gasoline around the front entrance to the home and ignited the gas, Gerber said. Kazimierczyk inadvertently ignited himself, authorities said, and tried to relieve the burns to his stomach, legs and arms by rolling in some nearby snow. No one else was hurt in the early morning incident, which did not severely damage the home.

Kazimierczyk's arrest resulted from "outstanding police work by the Schaumburg Police Department," said Gerber after the sentencing.

After locating a burned set of car keys, police matched the code embedded in the remote key to the car registration which led them to Kazimierczyk, Gerber said.