PHOENIX — A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting to setting an East Valley apartment on fire because the man inside owed him $300, according to prosecutors.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) said Lyle Terence Samuel, 57, pleaded guilty in August to attempted first-degree murder and arson for the crime, which happened in Mesa in August 2024.

He was sentenced for setting the fire, which sent a man to the hospital for weeks, earlier this month.

“This fire could’ve had catastrophic consequences,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release Thursday. “Innocent families and children were recklessly put at risk over a few hundred dollars.”

Charges of endangerment, criminal damage and aggravated assault were dropped as part of a plea deal, acc

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