SEATTLE – An Everett man Thursday pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson, including an admission of a role in a multimillion-dollar blaze that destroyed a condominium building under construction in Edmonds.
Random S. Haug, 21, also admitted a role in a second arson in Bothell, according to court papers filed in Seattle in U.S. District Court.
Under a plea agreement, Haug can expect to serve about four years in prison. He also promised to cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of co-defendant Daniel W. Shreve, 18. Shreve, also from Everett, is charged with the Dec. 17 condo fire.
Haug is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 2.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said the Shreve case is pending.
Federal court documents said the two men and a teenager wanted to start a fire just to watch a big building burn.
They returned twice to The Gregory Condominiums in the 500 block of Fifth Avenue S. in Edmonds before the fire took off, documents said. The blaze in the 90,000-square-foot building caused at least $4.5 million in damage.
Besides a prison sentence, Haug will be responsible for paying restitution, which will amount to between $2.5 million and $7million, documents said.
Haug also admitted to driving with others to Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc. in Bothell. An ignited propane tank was thrown through the front window of the research company.
According to documents, the tank burned temporarily and charred the floor before going out.
After the condo fire, the investigation and later the cleanup disrupted traffic in downtown Edmonds for weeks.
Besides the two adults, a teenage boy is being prosecuted in Snohomish County Juvenile Court for the condominium fire. The now-18-year-old pleaded guilty to arson in June and is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 17.
Haug, Shreve, the teen and a girl had been at a birthday party in Edmonds the night before the early-morning fire. Afterward, they filled half a small juice bottle with gasoline, according to court documents.
Shreve told investigators the group targeted The Gregory because some friends were working on the project, and they knew it would be unoccupied, documents said.
They allegedly lit the bottle, threw it into the building and then drove up the hill and watched it burn for 20 minutes. They returned a second time after filling up a larger juice bottle with gas at a nearby station to create a bigger fire. This time they allegedly threw the gas on a stairway and a hall and lit it, according to court records.
They returned once again and threw additional materials on the fire, charging documents say.
About two hours later, the group returned to watch as the building was engulfed in flames. Shreve told investigators it was a “nice fire,” and Haug described it as a “cool fire,” according to court papers.
Earlier that morning, the men threw improvised Molotov cocktails at a billboard and in the street, documents said.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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