Elgin arsonist gets 10 years in prison for setting West Side house ablaze

An East Dundee teen has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for setting a March house fire on Elgin's west side, officials said Thursday.

Salvatore Riso, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday to residential arson, a Class 1 felony, and was sentenced in a plea deal accepted by Kane County Judge Thomas E. Mueller.

Riso was one of three teenagers charged in a March 23 fire that destroyed a two-story house on the 500 block of Ashland Avenue in Elgin, two days after police were called there to break up a fight.

Also convicted in connection with the fire were Carpentersville residents Anthony M. Huff and Jessica A. Fliginger, both 18. Huff pleaded guilty to residential arson in September and was sentenced to eight years in prison, and Fliginger pleaded guilty to reckless property damage earlier this month was put on two years of probation.

The teens were accused of using a flammable liquid to start the intense fire, which spread quickly from the basement to the attic, while they knew people were inside.

Though no one was hurt, about two dozen firefighters spent several hours battling flames and rescuing five pets from the building.

In addition to the arson charge, Riso, who has been in the county jail since his arrest in March, pleaded guilty Wednesday to resisting a peace officer and was sentenced to an additional year for scuffling with jail guards carrying out a search of his cell in August. By statute, Riso must serve at least half of the two consecutive sentences, or about 5½ years altogether.