A Marysville man convicted of setting fires near his home will spend four years behind bars.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Richard Thorpe has sentenced Earl Jimmy Smith, 40, following his conviction in March of three counts of arson. In all, there were 19 arsons, most of them small, set not long after Smith moved to Marysville in 1999, prosecutors said.
Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives loaned Marysville detectives surveillance cameras that on three occasions caught Smith coming out of his apartment about the time fires erupted. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree arson for 2003 fires set April 8 and Oct. 12. Those were in an unoccupied house and an unoccupied apartment. He also was convicted of one count of second-degree arson for setting a blaze in the bed of a neighbor’s pickup Sept. 24.
Deputy prosecutor Jim Townsend asked for the four-year term, the top end of the sentencing range. Defense attorney Damian Klauss sought the low end, about 31/2 years. Police said they still are investigating arsons in Anacortes and Everett for the periods Smith lived in those communities.
At trial, the surveillance videos helped produce a rapid verdict. It took jurors about two hours to convict Smith.
Klauss argued that the videos are a long way away and don’t specifically identify Smith, even though a male figure was seen leaving and returning to his apartment. Klauss also told jurors that Smith had been concerned about an arsonist and had been out late trying to catch the culprit.
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